Accelerating the fusion workforce in the USA
Year: 2025
Type: article
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: Carlos Paz-Soldan, Eva Belonohy, Troy Carter, Laleh E Coté, Evdokiya Kostadinova, Calvin Lowe, Subash L Sharma, Sybil de Clark, Jaydeep Deshpande, Kate Kelly, Bobbi Makani, David A Schaffner, Kathreen E Thome
Institutions: Columbia University, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Plasma Physics, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Auburn University, Hampton University, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Commonwealth Fusion Systems (United States), San Jose State University, Bryn Mawr College, General Atomics (United States)
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems and Management
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,325
Funder: National Science Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W4413210195