Luisa Chiesa

Biography

Luisa Chiesa is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tufts School of Engineering. Her teaching interests include sustainable energy, thermodynamics and applied thermodynamics, cryogenic and superconductivity, strength of materials, mechanics of materials, and material science. Her primary research interest is superconducting materials for large powerful magnets to be used in particle accelerators, medical devices, and fusion energy machines. Her current research focus is the electro-mechanical behavior of superconducting materials for large magnets used in fusion power devices. Fusion reactors could play a key role in the power production of future generations. Powerful superconducting magnets are used to confine the plasma created in the fusion vessel. During operations, these magnets are subjected to extremely large forces that could reduce the overall performance of the superconducting material they are made of, jeopardizing the overall performance of the machine. To succeed in building such systems, it is critical to investigate the electro-mechanical properties of superconducting materials. Experimental and numerical work in this subject is performed at Tufts University, in collaboration with several national laboratories. This research is also of interest for other energy applications, such as superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) and superconducting transmission lines. These technologies could play a significant role in power storage and delivery, which are the backbone for the successful implementation of renewable energy sources. The measurements performed in Chiesa's laboratory are unique and focus mainly on superconductors, but the equipment available can be used to test different categories of materials.