Dr. Rui Zhao
Biography
Dr. Rui Zhao is a Research Fellow in the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He received his Ph.D. degree in Energy Science from Kyoto University, Japan, in March 2026. Prior to his doctoral studies, he obtained both his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Physics from Dalian University of Technology, China. His research background spans gyrokinetic simulations of plasma microinstabilities, turbulent transport, and energetic particle physics in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. His expertise includes global gyrokinetic simulation of drift-wave instabilities, transport barrier physics, and alpha-particle confinement in burning plasmas.
Research Interests
Dr. Zhao’s research focuses on the physics of plasma turbulence and transport in magnetic confinement fusion devices. His current work involves global gyrokinetic simulations of drift-wave instabilities and turbulent transport in experimental tokamaks, including JT-60U and HL-3. A major focus of his research is the formation of internal transport barriers (ITBs), particularly in reversed magnetic shear plasmas, and the underlying microinstability and transport mechanisms. He is also interested in energetic particle confinement and transport in future burning plasma devices, including the behavior of fusion-born alpha particles and their impact on plasma performance. In addition, he participates in collaborative studies connecting numerical simulations with experimental observations.
Selected Publications
- R. Zhao, K. Imadera, W. Wang, J. Li, Z. Wang, A. Ishizawa, Y. Kishimoto. Possible seed for internal transport barriers in L-mode plasmas modeled on JT-60U reversed magnetic-shear discharge subject to profile constraints. Nuclear Fusion, 66(5), (2026) 054001.
- R. Zhao, K. Imadera, J. Liu, W. Wang, J. Li, A. Ishizawa, Y. Kishimoto. Characteristics of global dispersion and mode distribution modeled for JT-60U like strongly reversed magnetic shear plasmas exhibiting L-modes with strong profile constraints. Nuclear Fusion, 65(5), (2025) 056037.
- R. Zhao, Z. Wang, F. Wang, B. Hao, CFETR Team. Alpha particle ripple loss in CFETR steady-state scenario. Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 62(11), (2020) 115001.
- F. Wang, R. Zhao, Z. Wang, Y. Zhang, Z. Lin, S. Liu, CFETR Team. PTC: full and drift particle orbit tracing code for α particles in tokamak plasmas. Chinese Physics Letters, 38(5), (2021) 055201.