Prof. Félix Ignacio PARRA DÍAZ

Curriculum Vitae
Félix I. Parra Díaz
Prof. Félix Ignacio PARRA DÍAZ
Business address
Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
167 Albany Street, Room NW16-243
Cambridge, MA 02139
USA
+1 617 253 9741
fparra@mit.edu
Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA (USA)
Ph.D. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Plasma Science and Fusion Center,
May 2009. Thesis title: Extension of gyrokinetics to transport time scales. Minor: Applied
Mathematics.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA (USA)
Master of Science, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, January 2007. Thesis:
Development of a model for the near-exit plume of a Hall thruster.
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)
Madrid (Spain)
Aeronautical Engineer, specialized in Propulsion, Escuela Técnica Superior de
Ingenieros Aeronáuticos (ETSIA), September 2004. Senior thesis: Update and
improvement of a two-dimensional PIC-fluid code for the plasma flow in a Hall thruster.
Research
Experience
University of Oxford Theoretical Physics Department Oxford (UK)
EPSRC Post-doctoral Fellow and Christ Church Junior Research Fellow
October 2009 – July 2011
Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences
Visiting Fellow
July – August 2010
Cambridge (UK)
MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Post-doctoral Fellow
June 2009 – September 2009
Cambridge, MA (USA)
MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Ph.D. Candidate
June 2006 – May 2009
Cambridge, MA (USA)
MIT Space Propulsion Laboratory
S.M. Candidate
September 2004 – December 2005
Cambridge, MA (USA)
ETSIA Department of Mathematical Foundations
Undergraduate Student
September 2001 – September 2004
Madrid (Spain)
ETSIA Department of Aerospace Vehicles
Undergraduate Student
April – December 2003
Madrid (Spain)
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Curriculum Vitae
Teaching
Experience
Awards
Félix I. Parra Díaz
Christ Church at University of Oxford
Symmetry and Relativity. Tutor.
October 2010 – June 2011
Oxford (UK)
University of Oxford Physics Department
Co-advisor of last year Physics student
January – June 2010
Oxford (UK)
UCLA Department of Physics
Lecturer at the CMPD/CMSO Winter School
January 2010
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
MIT Department of Nuclear Engineering
Plasma Transport Theory. Teaching Assistant.
September – December 2007
Cambridge, MA (USA)
MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Thermal Energy. Teaching Fellow.
January – May 2006
Cambridge, MA (USA)
Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award (2011)
EPSRC Post-doctoral Fellow (2009)
Christ Church Junior Research Fellow (2009)
Award for Excellent Graduate Student Presentation in 2008 International Sherwood
Fusion Theory Conference
Extraordinary Award for Best Aeronautical Engineering Student in Spain (2004)
GMV Award for Best Student in ETSIA (2004)
ITP Award for Best Student in Propulsion Specialization of ETSIA (2004)
CDT-Foindesa Award for Research in Aeronautical Engineering (2003)
UPM Award for Academic Performance (2003)
Honorable Mention in the Archimedes Conference for Young Researchers (2002)
Honorable Mention in the International Physics Olympiad (1999)
Gold Medal in the National Physics Olympiad (1999)
Gold Medal in the National Chemistry Olympiad (1999)
Publications M. Barnes, F.I. Parra, A.A. Schekochihin (2011). “Critically balanced ion temperature
gradient turbulence in fusion plasmas.” Physical Review Letters, submitted.
E.G. Highcock, M. Barnes, F.I. Parra, A.A. Schekochihin, C.M. Roach, S.C. Cowley
(2011). “Transport bifurcation induced by sheared toroidal flow in tokamak plasmas.”
Physics of Plasmas, submitted.
F.I. Parra, M. Barnes, P.J. Catto (2011). “Sources of intrinsic rotation in the low flow
ordering.” Nuclear Fusion, submitted.
P.J. Catto, F.I. Parra, G. Kagan, M. Landreman, (2011). ”Radial electric field evaluation
and effects in the core and pedestal.” Nuclear Fusion, submitted.
F.I. Parra, M. Barnes, A.G. Peeters (2011). “Up-down symmetry of the turbulent
transport of toroidal angular momentum in tokamaks.” Physics of Plasmas 18, 062501.
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Curriculum Vitae
Félix I. Parra Díaz
M. Barnes, F.I. Parra, E.G. Highcock, A.A. Schekochihin, S.C. Cowley, C.M. Roach
(2011). “Turbulent transport in tokamak plasmas with rotational shear.” Physical Review
Letters 106, 175004.
F.I. Parra, M. Barnes, E.G. Highcock, A.A. Schekochihin, S.C. Cowley (2011).
“Momentum injection in tokamak plasmas and transitions to reduced transport.” Physical
Review Letters 106, 115004.
F.I. Parra, I. Calvo (2011). “Phase-space Lagrangian derivation of electrostatic
gyrokinetics in general geometry.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 53, 045001.
E.G. Highcock, M. Barnes, A.A. Schekochihin, F.I. Parra, C.M. Roach, S.C. Cowley
(2010). “Transport bifurcation in a rotating tokamak plasma at zero magnetic shear.”
Physical Review Letters 105, 215003.
S. Leerink, F.I. Parra, J. A. Heikkinen (2010). “Comment on “Nonlinear gyrokinetic theory
with polarization drift” [Phys. Plasmas 17, 082304 (2010)].” Physics of Plasmas 17,
124701.
E. Ahedo, R. Santos, F.I. Parra (2010). “Fulfillment of the kinetic Bohm criterion in a
quasineutral particle-in-cell model.” Physics of Plasmas 17, 073507.
F.I. Parra, P.J. Catto (2010). “Non-physical momentum sources in slab geometry
gyrokinetics.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 52, 085011.
F.I. Parra, P.J. Catto (2010). “Transport of momentum in full f gyrokinetics.” Physics of
Plasmas 17, 056106.
F.I. Parra, P.J. Catto (2010). “Turbulent transport of toroidal angular momentum in low
flow gyrokinetics.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 52, 045004.
F.I. Parra, P.J. Catto (2009). “Comment on ‘On higher order corrections to gyrokinetic
Vlasov-Poisson equations in the long wavelength limit’ [Phys. Plasmas 16, 044506
(2009)].” Physics of Plasmas 16, 124701.
P.J. Catto, F.I. Parra, G. Kagan, A.N. Simakov (2009). “Limitations, insights and
improvements to gyrokinetics.” Nuclear Fusion 49, 095026.
F.I. Parra, P.J. Catto (2009). “Vorticity and intrinsic ambipolarity in turbulent tokamaks.”
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 51, 095008.
F.I. Parra, P.J. Catto (2009). “Gyrokinetic equivalence.” Plasma Physics and Controlled
Fusion 51, 065002.
P.J. Catto, A.N. Simakov, F.I. Parra, G. Kagan (2008). “Electrostatic turbulence in
tokamaks on transport time scales.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 50, 115006.
F.I. Parra, P.J. Catto (2008). “Limitations of gyrokinetics on transport time scales.”
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 50, 065014.
F.I. Parra, E. Ahedo, J.M. Fife, M. Martínez-Sánchez (2006). “A two-dimensional hybrid
model of the Hall thruster discharge.” Journal of Applied Physics 100, 023304.
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Curriculum Vitae
Félix I. Parra Díaz
E. Ahedo, F.I. Parra (2005). “Partial trapping of secondary-electron emission in a Hall
thruster plasma.” Physics of Plasmas 12, 073503.
E. Ahedo, F.I. Parra (2005). “A model of the two-stage Hall thruster discharge.” Journal
of Applied Physics 98, 023303.
Invited talks F.I. Parra. “Turbulent momentum transport in tokamaks.” 53rd APS Annual Meeting of the
Division of Plasma Physics, Salt Lake City, UT (USA), 2011.
F.I. Parra. “Limitations of the gyrokinetic quasineutrality equation.” 51st APS Annual
Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics, Atlanta, GA (USA), 2009.
F.I. Parra. “Limitations of the gyrokinetic quasineutrality equation.” 13th European Fusion
Theory Conference, Riga (Latvia), 2009.
F.I. Parra. “Limitations of gyrokinetics on transport time scales.” 2008 International
Sherwood Fusion Theory Conference, Boulder, CO (USA), 2008.
Referee
Refereed for Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Physics of Plasmas, Nuclear
Fusion, Journal of Applied Physics and Physics Letters A.
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