Aaliyah Zuniga
Graduate Research Assistant
- Email: amzuniga@ncsu.edu
- Office: Burlington 1231
About:
Aaliyah is a first year Ph.D student in the FPAC lab. Prior to pursuing her graduate studies, Aaliyah completed her undergraduate degree in Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University.
Research Interests:
Aaliyah’s research focuses on investigating the qualification of additive manufactured tungsten (AM-W) as a plasma facing component (PFC). Additive manufacturing allows for designing materials with intricate geometries and adjusting material properties that could not be achieved through traditional machining. Through her work, she aims to help address the material challenges of PFCs to bridge the gap between where fusion energy research is today to powering the grid with a clean energy source.
Current Projects:
Aaliyah is currently machining AM-W samples for a Divertor Material Evaluation System (DiMES) experiment in DIII-D which is a research tokamak. Aaliyah will investigate how dominant grain orientations, such as (111) or (001), influence crack formation, erosion rates and changes in mechanical properties. These samples were produced and are being machined at the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Logistics (CAMAL) on N.C. State’s Centennial Campus.
Outside the Lab:
When not immersed in research, Aaliyah enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, painting and working to perfect her recreations of her grandmother’s traditional Mexican recipes.
