Henry

I heard about General Fusion when I saw Michel Laberge’s TED Talk in high school. I studied engineering physics at Queen’s University. When I was looking for internships in my third year, General Fusion was at the forefront of my mind. I was drawn to the intersection of physics, climate, and the fast-paced private sector. I was lucky enough to land an eight-month term doing mechanical design on the PI3 plasma injector power supply before returning to school for my final year.

I attended the Oxford Plasma Physics Summer School, tailored for early to mid-Ph.D. students. It was a fantastic opportunity to gain a broad overview of plasma physics and understand how my work in plasma diagnostics fits into the greater picture. In its final year, we toured JET, the biggest operational tokamak ever, and ate some great food—Oxford has a truly global cuisine!

I work on plasma diagnostics on PI3. For the past year, I have focused on implementing a reflectometer, a diagnostic to measure electron density profiles at the plasma’s edge. We collaborated with Instituto Superior Técnico, a research group at the University of Lisbon that is a world leader in diagnostics and is known for its work with ITER and ASDEX. After months of work, two researchers from Lisbon spent time with us in Vancouver. We successfully installed the diagnostic on PI3 and measured density profiles!

I have many favourite hobbies and pastimes, including canoeing, writing, and tennis. Recently, I’ve been trying my hand at storytelling events in Vancouver, which I’ve found quite rewarding. I enjoy precisely crafting and sharing a story, trying to get a message across and have it resonate.

A favourite memory of mine is when I attended and then worked at a canoe-tripping summer camp in Ontario. My guiding experience culminated in a two-month canoe trip in the Arctic, from Great Slave Lake to the Coppermine River and eventually the Arctic Ocean. The treeless expanse of the Northwest Territories was a surreal place to spend a summer, with its immense skies, austere beauty, and unrelenting storms.