Stephen C. Jardin Wins the 2025 Ronald C. Davidson Award for Plasma Physics for Innovative Research in Magnetic Fusion Energy

MELVILLE, N.Y., Oct. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AIP Publishing has selected Stephen C. Jardin, PhD, Principal Research Physicist and Professor at the Plasma Physics Faculty of Princeton University, as the recipient of 2025 Ronald C. Davidson Award for Plasma Physics. The award of $5,000 is conferred in collaboration with the American Physical Society's Division of Plasma Physics to recognize outstanding plasma physics research by a Physics of Plasmas author and will be presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics.

Dr. Jardin's award recognizes his paper, "A new explanation of the sawtooth phenomena in tokamaks," Phys. Plasmas 27, 032509 (2020), which proposed a new answer to a key question regarding the dynamics and stability of high-temperature magnetically confined plasma. "Our research furthers the goals of the US Department of Energy's Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing, (SciDAC) program by developing a highly accurate and efficient computer model that solves the three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic equations describing the global evolution of fusion-grade magnetized plasmas. We then used this model to explain several phenomena observed in tokamak experiments that were previously poorly understood, and to make predictions for future experiments. These include vertical displacement events, flux-pumping, sawtooth oscillations, and disruptions," he explained.

Physics of Plasma Editor-in-Chief Michael Mauel, PhD, noted that the winning paper was selected from the most highly cited and most frequently downloaded articles published in Physics of Plasmas during the past five years, and "illustrates how modern computational plasma physics and theoretical insights can uncover new understanding of the nonlinear processes within magnetically confined plasma for fusion energy. Fusion energy is a grand challenge of applied plasma physics. This research combines fundamental understanding of high temperature matter with the practical challenges of creating the conditions for energy production on Earth." 

Dr. Jardin elaborated, "For over four decades, the fastest computers have become about 1,000 times more powerful each decade. This has repeatedly opened new possibilities of performing new calculations that were impossible just a decade earlier. I was fortunate to come to the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory when most of the original physicists were still there, and I learned so much from them. More recently, I credit several of my graduate students, Nate Ferraro in particular, in greatly improving our computer code and seeking out new applications. We have also benefited enormously by collaborating with Mark Shephard and the Scientific Computation Research Center (SCOREC) team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)." After earning his Ph.D. in 1976 Astrophysical Sciences, Plasma Physics Section, from Princeton University in 1976, Dr. Jardin joined the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and has held the rank of Professor in Plasma Physics Faculty of Princeton University since 1986.

Looking ahead, Dr. Jardin predicts that advanced computer modeling, enhanced by Artificial Intelligence, will open up new research opportunities in the quest for practical fusion energy, as it has in other fields such as aircraft design and weather prediction. "My hope is that this will help to encourage more young scientists and students to pursue this type of research -- possibly joining our group one day!"

ABOUT THE RONALD C. DAVIDSON AWARD FOR PLASMA PHYSICS
The Ronald C. Davidson Award for Plasma Physics is provided by AIP Publishing in honor of Ronald Davidson's exceptional contributions as Editor-in-Chief of Physics of Plasmas for 25 years. The annual award of $5,000 is presented in collaboration with the American Physical Society's Division of Plasma Physics and recognizes outstanding plasma physics research by a Physics of Plasmas author.

ABOUT PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
Physics of Plasmas, published by AIP Publishing in cooperation with the APS Division of Plasma Physics, is committed to the publication of original research in all areas of experimental, computational, and theoretical plasma physics. Physics of Plasmas publishes in-depth review manuscripts, forward-looking perspectives, Tutorials on active topics, and Special Topics highlighting new developments. Every year a special issue publishes the invited and review papers from the most recent meeting of the APS.

ABOUT AIP PUBLISHING
AIP Publishing's mission is to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity by breaking barriers to open, fair research communication and empowering researchers to accelerate global progress. AIP Publishing is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and supports the charitable, scientific, and educational purposes of AIP through scholarly publishing activities on its behalf and on behalf of our publishing partners.

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