Hamza Hussain

Global Challenge: Unlocking renewable energy through fusion

Abstract:

Designing the magnetic coils that confine plasma in a stellarator fusion device is one of the most computationally challenging problems in clean energy research. Stellarators use complex, three-dimensional magnetic fields generated by external coils to hold superheated plasma in place long enough for fusion reactions to occur. Unlike simpler fusion devices, the coils must be shaped with extraordinary precision, but most mathematically valid solutions are physically impossible to build. This research investigates new computational methods that make the coil design process faster, more reliable, and more practical for real-world engineering.

Two key contributions are presented. First, an Augmented Lagrangian optimization approach is applied to coil design, which automatically balances physics goals against engineering constraints such as coil curvature, spacing, and structural forces, without requiring tedious manual tuning. This method was tested across five different stellarator configurations and consistently produced buildable coil designs that outperformed previous results, at a fraction of the computational cost. Second, a technique called Exponential Spectral Scaling (ESS) is introduced to address a numerical problem in plasma shape optimization, where certain mathematical parameters differ from others by millions of times in magnitude. ESS rescales these parameters in a way that dramatically improves the optimization process, achieving up to five times faster convergence. Together, these methods represent meaningful progress toward making stellarator design tractable for practical fusion reactor development.

Bio:

Hamza Hussain graduated from NYU Tandon in 2026 with a degree in applied math and physics. He loved all things math and science, and did research in computational math, optics, and medical physics. Another interest of his was quantum technology, which he pursued a minor in and explored through various competitions and events.

Opportunities abroad through GLASS were a cornerstone of his time at NYU. He first spent a semester at NYU Abu Dhabi, where he did work in particle and computational physics, as well as playing on the school's volleyball team. The following summer, he did a summer term in Hanoi at VinUniversity, where they studied digital twins for sustainable development. During his junior year, he went on a J-term trip to Seoul at Hanyang University, where he studied UN Sustainable Development Goals and Korean language, 안녕하세요!. Growing up in the UK with Egyptian-Indian heritage, he found these global opportunities to be truly eye-opening.

Outside of academics, Hamza enjoyed playing sports, hiking, watching good movies, and exploring the city with friends.