Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics

• Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow, 2020-2022

• American Physical Society, Division of Plasma Physics

• Department of Energy Early Career Research Award, 2023
• Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award, American Physical Society, 2021
• ARCS Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 2019

• PhD, Physics, University of Maryland
• AB, Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University

• Associate Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, 2016–
• Lecturer in the Discipline of Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, 2013-2016
• Senior Research Scientist, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University, 2013
• Senior Research Scientist, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University, 2003-2013
• Associate Research Scientist, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University, 1999-2003
• Visiting Scientist, Center for Weather Prediction and Climate Studies (CPTEC), Brazil, 1996-1999

• 2016 Editors’ Citation for Excellence in Refereeing for Geophysical Research Letters

• Assistant Professor of Applied Physics, Columbia University, Jan. 1 2013 – present

• 2015 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Young Faculty Award (DARPA YFA)
• 2016 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program (ONR YIP) Award
• 2017 DARPA Director’s Fellowship

• Plasma Physics (Controlled Fusion)
• Energy Science

• Associate Professor, Applied Physics, Columbia University, 2021-Present
• Scientist, General Atomics, 2014-2020

• American Physical Society
• American Nuclear Society

• Fellow, American Physical Society, 2024
• Thomas H. Stix Award for Outstanding Early Career Contributions to Plasma Physics Research, 2021
• Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award, American Physical Society, 2013
• Doctoral Fellowship, National Science and Engineering Research Council Canada, 2009
• Graduate Fellowship, American Nuclear Society, 2008

• PhD, Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• MS, Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• BEng, Engineering Physics, Queen's University Canada

C. Paz-Soldan, et al, A novel path to runaway electron mitigation via deuterium injection and current-driven MHD instability, Nucl. Fusion 61 116058 (2021)

C. Paz-Soldan, Plasma Performance and Operational Boundaries without ELMs in DIII-D, topical review in Plasma Phys. Contrl. Fusion 63 083001 (2021)

C. Paz-Soldan et al, Recent DIII-D advances in runaway electron measurement and model validation, Nucl. Fusion, 59 066025 (2019)

C. Paz-Soldan et al, Spatio-temporal Evolution of Runaway Electron Momentum Distributions in Tokamaks. Phys. Rev. Lett., 118 255002 (2017)

C. Paz-Soldan et al, Observation of a Multimode Plasma Response and its Relationship to Density Pumpout and Edge-Localized Mode Suppression. Phys. Rev. Lett., 114 105001 (2015)

C. Paz-Soldan et al, Stabilization of the resistive wall mode by a rotating solid conductor. Phys. Rev. Lett., 107 245001 (2011)

Beyond the above, over 20 first-author and 140 co-author peer-reviewed publications. See profiles on:

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ORCiD

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Scopus

• Associate Professor, Columbia University, 2020-Present
• Assistant Professor, Columbia University, 2015-2019

• Materials Research Society
• Electrochemical Society
• American Chemical Society

• CUAFA Young Investigator Award, 2024
• Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, 2020-2022
• Materials Today Rising Star Award, 2022
• Energy Storage Materials Young Scientist Award, 2021
• 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award, 2021
• IAAM Innovation Award of the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM), 2020
• Emerging Investigators Award by Journal of Materials Chemistry A., 2019
• Nano Research Young Innovator Awards in NanoEnergy, 2019
• Scialog Fellow on Advanced Energy Storage, 2017
• MRS Postdoctoral Award for 2015 Spring Meeting, 2015
• World Changing Ideas Selected by Scientific American, 2014
• Dan Cubicciotti Award of Electrochemical Society (honorable mention), 2010

• PhD, Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University
• MS, Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University
• BS, Physics, Peking University

• Affiliate Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 2004-2023
• Alliance Visiting Professor, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaisaeau, France, 2015
• Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2000-present
• Professor of Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, 2000-present
• Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, 1995-2000
• Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, 1990-1995
• Instructor in Applied Mathematics [non-tenure track], M.I.T., 1988-1990

• American Meteorological Society
• American Geophysical Union
• European Geosciences Union
• American Physical Society
• American Astronomical Society
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

• Fellow, American Geophysical Union, 2019
• Fellow, American Meteorological Society, 2015
• Best Teacher of the Year, Dept of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, 2012
• Great Teacher Award, Society of Columbia Graduates, Columbia University 2008
• Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, Columbia SEAS Alumni Association 1997

• Fu Foundation Professor of Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, 2014-
• Verne M. Willaman Professor of Mathematics, Penn State University, 2006-2014
• Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Penn State University, 2005-2014
• Professor of Mathematics, Penn State University, 2001-2016

•  Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2026
• Frontiers of Science Award, 2024
• USACM Thomas J.R. Hughes Medal, 2021
• SIAM Review SIGEST Award 2020
• Fellow, American Mathematical Society, 2020
• Invited speaker of International Congress of Mathematicians, 2018
• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2017
• ACM Gordon Bell Prize Finalist 2016, for the world’s largest extreme-scale simulations using the most powerful supercomputer on earth
• SIAM Outstanding Paper prize 2016 , for a paper published in SIAM J. Numerical Analysis  (coauthored with PhD student Xiaochuan TIan) on numerical methods for nonlocal models
• Fellow, Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics, 2013
• Feng Kang Prize in Scientific Computing, 2008

• PhD, Mathematics, Carnegie Mellon University
• MS, Applied Mathematics, Carnegie Mellon University
• BS, Mathematics, University of Science and Technology of China

• Professor Emeritus, Applied Physics, Columbia University, 2026-present
• Professor, Applied Physics, Columbia University, 1995 –2026
• Editor-in-Chief, Physics of Plasmas, 2016 –
• Chairman, Dept. of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, 2000-2006
• Associate Editor, Physics of Plasmas, 2003-2015
• Associate Editor, Journal of Fusion Energy, 2014-2015
• Associate Professor, Dept. of Applied Physics, Columbia University, 1990 – 1995
• Assistant Professor, Dept. of Applied Physics, Columbia University, 1985 – 1990
• Instructor, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, M.I.T., 1984 – 1984

• American Physical Society

• Leadership Award, Fusion Power Associates, 2020

• Associate of the U.S. National Academies, 2020

• Jefferson Science Fellow, National Academies, U.S. Dept. of State, 2006-2007
• Certificate of Appreciation, U.S. Dept. of State, 2007
• Rose Award for Excellence in Fusion Engineering, Fusion Power Associates, 2000
• Fellow, American Physical Society, 1995
• Teacher of the Year, 1994, elected by Columbia’s School of Engineering Undergraduates
• Certificate of Appreciation, U.S. Dept. of Energy, 1989
• I.E.E.E. Fortesque Fellowship, 1978 – 1979
• Guillemin Prize for undergraduate thesis in Electrical Engineering

• Sc.D. (EE) 1983, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• M.S. (EE) 1979, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• B.S. (EE) 1978, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Professor, Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University 2026-
• Chief Data Scientist, The New York Times, 2014-2026
• Associate Professor, Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, and Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (C2B2), Columbia University 2006-2026
• Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, and Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (C2B2), Columbia University, 2001-2006
• Assistant Professor/Courant Instructor, Courant Institute, NYU, 1998-2001

• 2014 American Physical Society Fellow
• 2014- Chief Data Scientist, The New York Times
• 2011-2014 Selected as mentor for TechStars NYC
• 2011 Selected among 25 “People to watch in Silicon Alley” (Crains)
• 2010 Selected among 100 “Silicon Alley Insiders” (Business Insider)
• 2007 Janette and Armen Avanessians Diversity Award, SEAS, Columbia University

• PhD, Theoretical Physics, Princeton University
• BA, Physics, Columbia College