AE 590 (Optional) Seminar Speaker: Dongho Lee

Abstract:
Advanced plasma diagnostics are essential for understanding plasma physics that governs the performance of electric propulsion devices. This talk introduces plasma diagnostics for electric propulsion plasmas, including optical emission spectroscopy, tomographic reconstruction, and incoherent Thomson scattering, with examples from Hall thruster studies. The seminar will also highlight ongoing research and future directions in the Space Electric Propulsion and Ion-Beam Application Laboratory at KAIST, including electrospray thrusters for micro-propulsion, Hall thrusters using metallic propellants, and other electric propulsion technologies for very-low-Earth-orbit missions. 

Bio:
Dr. Dongho Lee is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). His research focuses on electric propulsion, low-temperature plasma physics, and plasma diagnostics, with particular interests in Hall thrusters, electrospray thrusters, and ion-beam technologies. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from KAIST, completing his Ph.D. in 2022 with research on 50 W-class micro-Hall thrusters and plume diagnostics. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research on high-power electric propulsion at the Georgia Institute of Technology and magnetron plasmas at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and also served as visiting faculty at United Arab Emirates University. He joined KAIST Aerospace Engineering in 2025.