Skip to main content

Momentum for Fusion Energy in California Continues at UC Workshop

The University of California Office of the President and many groups across UC San Diego led a December 2024 event focused on how California and the nation can emerge as the global leader in fusion engineering

Published Date

Article Content

Researchers from several campuses at the University of California and national labs, as well as companies focused on fusion, converged on the UC San Diego campus in early December.

The event was part of the University of California’s continued effort to build the collaborations and community connections needed to advance fusion energy—with the ultimate goal of solving the toughest engineering challenges holding back practical fusion energy systems.

The workshop was sponsored by the University of California Office of the President with support from the office of UC San Diego Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Cori Peek-Asa, the UC San Diego Center for Energy Research, the UC San Diego Fusion Engineering Institute and the San Diego Supercomputer Center. Three UC San Diego researchers were part of the lead organizers.

“Cross-disciplinary collaboration is key to advancing fusion energy research, and the conversations taking place here are sparking new partnerships, projects and ideas that will help drive this complex field forward,” UC San Diego Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Peek-Asa said.

Pulling together the talents of engineers from academia, National Laboratories, and industry is a top priority at UC San Diego, said Albert P. Pisano, dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and special adviser to Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. The race is on to turn fusion from a scientific challenge to an engineering one, he added. The winners will turn fusion reactors from research projects into machines with clear plans, parts that can be easily replaced, and clear operating instructions. “That process has to start now,” Pisano said, and California is well positioned to win this race.

UC San Diego’s ability to bring together researchers and engineers from around the state was in evidence during the workshop’s panels. The event included talks by researchers at UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis and UC Irvine, as well as the Lawrence Livermore, Lawrence Berkeley and Los Alamos national laboratories. The industry panel consisted of General Atomics, Pacific Fusion and Blue Laser Fusion.

“The presence of industry at this workshop shows that being connected to the University of California is important,” said Javier E. Garay, associate dean of research at the Jacobs School and a professor in the UC San Diego Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. “It’s a testament to the collective enthusiasm.”

During breakout sessions, academics said they would like guidance from the fusion energy industry about their research needs. The goal is for academic research breakthroughs to be translated into practical applications in industry.

Farhat Beg, a workshop lead organizer and Shao-Chi and Lily Lin Chancellor's Endowed Chair at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, laid out the next steps. These include a public report that will sum up the workshop’s discussions and hopefully lead to possible future investment from the UC Office of the President into fusion research. In addition to engineering challenges, the University of California will also focus on workforce training for students and early career researchers.

The Jacobs School of Engineering is currently recruiting for two faculty positions (one senior and one early career) in fusion energy.

Group photo of fusion researchers
Researchers from several campuses of the University of California, representatives of the federal government and representatives of serveral private companies attended a workshop on fusion energy at UC San Diego.

Share This:

Category navigation with Social links