Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics

Plasma physics; numerical modeling of magnetized plasma; turbulence and transport processes; fusion exhaust and control strategies; ML/AI applications in fusion energy science.

A full list of my publications is available on Google Scholar.

B. Zhu, M. Zhao, X. Xu, A. Gupta, K. Kwon, X. Ma and D. Eldon, “Latent space mapping: revolutionizing predictive models for divertor plasma detachment control”, Physics of Plasmas 32, 062508 (2025)
 

K. Fan, X. Xu, B. Zhu, C. Dong, T. Xia and Z. Li, “Theoretical and global simulation analysis of collisional microtearing modes”, Physics of Plasmas 31, 052102 (2024)
 

B. Zhu, X. Xu and X. Tang, “Electromagnetic turbulence simulation of tokamak edge plasma dynamics and divertor heat load during thermal quench”, Nuclear Fusion 63, 086027 (2023)
 

B. Zhu, M. Zhao, H. Bhatia, N. Li, T. Bremer, X. Xu, W. Meyer and T. Rognlien, “Data-driven model for divertor plasma detachment prediction”, Journal of Plasma Physics 88, 895880504 (2022)
 

K. Fan, X. Xu, B. Zhu and P. Li, “Kinetic Landau-Fluid closures of non-Maxwellian distributions”, Physics of Plasmas 29, 042116 (2022)
 

B. Zhu, H. Seto, M. Yagi and X. Xu, “Drift reduced Landau fluid model for magnetized plasma turbulence simulations in BOUT++ framework”, Computer Physics Communication 267, 108079 (2021)
 

M. Francisquez, T. Bernard, B. Zhu, A. Hakim, B. N. Rogers, and G. W. Hammett, “Fluid and gyrokinetic turbulence in open field-line, helical plasmas", Physics of Plasmas 27, 082301 (2020)
 

C. Ma, B. Zhu, X. Xu and W. Wang, “Machine learning surrogate models for Landau fluid closure”, Physics of Plasmas 27, 042502 (2020)
 

B. Zhu, M. Francisquez and B. Rogers, “GDB: a global 3D two-fluid code for plasma turbulence and transport at tokamak edge region”, Computer Physics Communications 232, 46 (2018)
 

B. Zhu, M. Francisquez and B. Rogers, “Global 3D two-fluid simulation of tokamak edge region: turbulence, transport, profile evolution and spontaneous E×B rotation", Physics of Plasmas 24, 055903 (2017)

Assistant Professor, Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, 2026-present

Research Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2020-2025

Postdoctoral Staff Researcher, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2018-2020

U.S. DOE Early Career Research Program Award, 2024
 

Physics and Astronomy Graduate Research Award, Dartmouth College, 2017
 

Conference Gordon F. Hull Fellowship, Dartmouth College, 2016