Accelerating the fusion workforce in the USA
Abstract The fusion energy research and development landscape has seen significant advances in recent years, with important scientific and technological breakthroughs and a rapid rise of investment in the private sector. The workforce needs of the nascent fusion industry are growing at a rate that academic workforce development programs are not currently able to match. This paper presents the findings of the Workforce Accelerator for Fusion Energy Development Conference held in Hampton, Virginia, United States of America (USA), on 29–30 May 2024, which was funded by the National Science Foundation of the USA. A major goal of the conference was to focus on bringing public and private stakeholders together to identify opportunities for partnership in fusion research and education with the goal of meeting the needs for a talented and diverse workforce. Representatives from industry, academia, and national laboratories participated in the conference through the preparation of white papers, presentations, and group discussions, and the production of recommendations to address the challenges facing the fusion workforce in the USA.
Authors
- Christopher F. Lowe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9320-4499)
- Troy Carter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5741-0495)
- K. E. Thome (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4801-3922)
- Kate Kelly
- David Schaffner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9180-6565)
- Laleh E. Coté (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6232-7573)
- C. Paz-Soldan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5069-4934)
- Sybil de Clark
- Evdokiya Kostadinova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8816-332X)
- Jaydeep Deshpande
- Subash Sharma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0077-3201)
- É. Belonohy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1045-4634)
- Bobbi Makani
Institutions
- Bryn Mawr College (US)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US)
- United States Department of Energy (US)
- University of Massachusetts Lowell (US)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
- Hampton University (US)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Plasma Physics (CZ)
- Lawrence Livermore National Security (US)
- Boston Fusion (United States) (US)
- Garmin (Germany) (DE)
- San Jose State University (US)
- General Atomics (United States) (US)
- Columbia University (US)
- Auburn University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
- Published
- 2025-08-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/adfa40
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.77
Funders
- National Science Foundation