Dr. Tammy Ma is an experimental plasma physicist at National Ignition Facility. She leads experiments aimed at achieving sustained thermonuclear fusion by using NIF’s 192 laser beams to compress fuel capsules in a process called inertial confinement fusion (ICF).Dr. Ma has authored or co-authored over 185 refereed journal publications. She was the recipient of the 2013 Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering, the 2016 Stix Award for Outstanding Early Career Contributions to Plasma Research from the American Physical Society, a 2018 DOE Early Career Research Award, and the 2021 Fusion Power Associates Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award. She was also named 2019 Woman of the Year for the California 16th Assembly District for her commitment to education, and to mentoring and encouraging young students who share her passion for science. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.Dr. Ma received her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, and her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego.