The development of novel modelling methods for superconducting magnets
Julien Dular graduates in 2018 with an MSc in Engineering Physics at the University of Liège. His master’s thesis focuses on the numerical study of finite element magnetodynamic formulations for superconductor modelling. He pursues this research during a doctoral fellowship, as an FNRS Research Fellow at the Montefiore Institute, under the supervision of Prof. Benoît Vanderheyden (ULiège) and Prof. Christophe Geuzaine (ULiège). The numerical models he develops are published with open-source (https://www.life-hts.uliege.be/) and widely shared during international conferences and workshops.
Solid and fruitful collaborations are initiated during his doctoral fellowship with researchers from Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany), Technische Universität Berlin (Germany), Université de Lorraine (France), Universita di Bologna (Italie), and CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Switzerland). He obtains his PhD in 2023.
Next, Julien starts a three-year post-doctoral position at CERN, Switzerland, under the supervision of Dr. Mariusz Wozniak (CERN), in the Machine Protection and Electrical Integrity group of the Technology department (TE-MPE). During his stay at CERN, he exploits the experience acquired during his PhD to contribute to the development of cutting-edge numerical methods to model superconducting cables. Such cables are used in high-field magnets that bend and confine the trajectory of high-energy particle beams accelerated in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Since May 2026, Julien is affiliated again with the University of Liège and starts a FNRS Post-Doctoral Researcher Fellowship while maintaining exchanges with CERN. The research project is supervised by Prof. Christophe Geuzaine et Prof. Benoît Vanderheyden and focuses on the new generation of high field magnets based on high-temperature superconductors. These new magnets involve new modelling challenges, particularly due to the strong anisotropy of their material properties and the multi-scale structure of the windings. Overcoming these challenges is crucial for the design of next generation high field magnets, enabling energy levels never achieved so far in particle accelerators, with the hope of pushing the boundaries of particle physics understanding even further.
