Publication Date
8-27-2025
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Volume
67
Issue
8
DOI
10.1088/1361-6587/adfa40
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.
Funding Number
2346410
Funding Sponsor
National Science Foundation
Keywords
diversity, education, fusion energy, partnerships, public engagement, workforce development
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
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, and Kathreen E. Thome. "Accelerating the fusion workforce in the USA" Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (2025). https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/adfa40
