Thomas Chuna to leave CASUS for a position at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California
CASUS postdoctoral scientist Thomas Chuna is the recipient of this year’s LLNL High Energy Density Science (HEDS) Fellowship. After two scientifically productive years in Germany, he is expected to move back to his home country in late summer 2026 to take up a two‑year postdoctoral position at LLNL, funded entirely by the fellowship.
The prestigious scholarship from the High Energy Density Science (HEDS) Center of LLNL, a major research facility funded by the US Department of Energy, has been in existence since 2020. A global application process is conducted every year for a single position to fill. The fellowship is designed to support experienced postdoctoral scientists to independently pursue research related to the study of matter and energy in extreme conditions. While pursuing his own research agenda, Dr. Chuna will be mentored by a senior staff scientist of LLNL.
Press contact:
Dr. Martin Laqua
Officer Communications, Press and Public Relations
Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS) at HZDR
Thomas Chuna in the historic Ochsenbastei fortification of Görlitz. Image: courtesy of T. Chuna
Thomas Chuna earned a dual PhD in both physics and computational math at Michigan State University in East Lansing (USA). In 2024 he joined the research team of Dr. Tobias Dornheim, who back then was a Young Investigator at CASUS and is now Head of department at the Institute of Radiation Physics of Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Chuna’s research at CASUS focused on warm dense matter, which can be found in abundance in the universe, for example, in the interior of large planets. In warm dense matter, quantum fluctuations effect the material’s structure, for example, how electrically conductive the material is or how X-rays scatter off the material. His day-to-day work focused on data analytics, analyzing simulations of warm dense matter.
While at CASUS, Chuna developed numerical and statistical techniques to analyze quantum simulations, the results of his analyses help interpret experimental data. His fellowship at LLNL is to continue developing these numerical methods and produce more results. “I will continue to work closely with the esteemed HZDR/CASUS scientists who simulate quantum materials,” says Chuna. “Another major goal of the fellowship is to collaborate with LLNL scientists to help them make use of these results. So my fellowship will hopefully build future collaborations between German scientists and USA scientists.”
Here’s how he sums up his time in Görlitz: “I enjoyed my time in Germany. Görlitz is truly a beautiful city, and the festivals here are a lot of fun. I already miss the Görlitz Cathedral. And not to forget the researchers at HZDR/CASUS. They are not only really sharp but also very supportive.”
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is located in the city of Livermore, around 70 km east of San Francisco. The approximately 9,000 employees conduct research into national security issues. The topics range from nuclear technology to biological and chemical hazards. The center is also involved in the development of new technologies to utilize various energy sources, including laser or inertial confinement fusion.
Press contact:
Dr. Martin Laqua
Officer Communications, Press and Public Relations Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS) at HZDR