Sterling Smith
About Sterling Smith
Sterling Smith is a Scientist VI at General Atomics in La Jolla, CA, specializing in computational techniques such as finite element analysis and eigenvalue analysis. He holds a Ph.D. in Plasma Physics from Princeton University and has extensive experience in magnetohydrodynamics and optimizing post shot codes for the DIII-D experiment.
Work at General Atomics
Sterling Smith has been employed at General Atomics as a Scientist VI since 2009. He has accumulated 15 years of experience in this role, contributing to various projects in La Jolla, California. His work primarily focuses on computational techniques that enhance the efficiency and accuracy of scientific research.
Education and Expertise
Sterling Smith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Utah State University, where he studied from 1997 to 2004. He furthered his education at Princeton University, earning a Ph.D. in Plasma Physics from 2004 to 2009. His academic background provides a solid foundation for his expertise in computational techniques, magnetohydrodynamics, and programming languages such as Fortran 90 and Python.
Background
Sterling Smith's educational journey began at Grantsville High School, where he studied from 1994 to 1998. He transitioned to Utah State University, where he served as an Undergraduate Research Assistant from 2003 to 2004. Following this, he joined Princeton University, where he worked as a Graduate Research Assistant in two separate tenures, first in 2006 for three months and then from 2006 to 2009 for three years.
Research Contributions
In his current role at General Atomics, Sterling Smith optimizes post shot codes such as Zipfit, EFIT, and Autostability for the DIII-D experiment. His work involves employing finite element analysis and eigenvalue analysis to enhance the performance of these codes. He also utilizes LaTeX for documenting and presenting his scientific research findings.