Benjamin Jorns
Associate Professor
Location
3037 François-Xavier Bagnoud Aerospace Building
1320 Beal Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2140
Primary Website
Education
B.S. Physics, Yale University, 2007
M.A. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, 2009
Ph.D. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, 2012
Society Memberships
Research Interests
Electric propulsion systems; high-power Hall thrusters; turbulence and nonlinear process in low temperature plasmas; optically-based plasma diagnostics; coherent, low-frequency plasma structures; magnetic detachment; micropropulsion; breakthrough forms of space propulsion.
Professional Service
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Senior Member, 2009-Present
- American Physical Society, Member, 2016-Present
- Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Member, 2018-Present
- AIAA Electric Propulsion Technical Committee, Member, 2015-Present
- Electric Propulsion Rocket Society, Member, 2010-Present
- Michigan Institute for Plasma and Science Engineering, Member, Executive Committee, 2017-Present
Biography
Dr. Benjamin Jorns is an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan and co-director of the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL). Prior to joining PEPL, Dr. Jorns was a member of the electric propulsion group at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California where his work combined experimental and analytical techniques to investigate propulsion systems for the next generation of NASA robotic missions. Dr. Jorns also held a lecturer appointment in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at UCLA from 2013-2015. His primary research interests include wear mechanisms and stability in electric propulsion systems, turbulence and nonlinear processes in low-temperature plasmas, developing new plasma diagnostics, and investigating breakthrough forms of in-space propulsion. He has experience with several commercial and government-build plasma propulsion systems including high-current hollow cathodes, 1-10 kW class Hall thrusters, and low-TRL electrodeless thruster concepts. His work with electric propulsion technology has centered on developing first-principles understanding of their operating principles as well as implementing time-resolved and laser-based diagnostics to characterize behavior.
Awards
- AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award, 2021
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program award, 2018-Present
- Best Paper, Electric Propulsion Category, AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum, 2017, 2019
- Featured Article, Physics of Plasmas, 2020
- Editor’s Pick, Physics of Plasmas, 2014, 2018
- NASA Team Achievement Award for 12.5 kW Hall Thruster Development, 2018
- NASA JPL Voyager Award, 2015
- NASA Group Achievement Award, 2015
- NASA JPL Team Award, 2015
- NASA JPL Discovery Award, 2014
- NASA JPL Mariner Award, 2013
Related Links
Related News Stories
Jorns awarded 5 years of funding for advanced plasma research
The data-driven approach to developing better predictive models will result in faster and higher-fidelity engineering models for advanced rocket propulsion systems.
July 30 virtual event highlights future lunar and deep space missions, the technologies to get there, and U-M’s research contributions to space exploration.
U-M is a member of a new $15M institute to improve physics-based modeling of advanced thrusters for human space exploration.
The NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate has selected the Joint Advanced Propulsion Institute (JANUS) to explore high power electric propulsion systems for human exploration. Michigan Aerospace alumnus Mitchell Walker of the Georgia Institute of Technology will be the principal investigator and director. U-M Assistant Professor Benjamin Jorns will serve as co-director.
