University of California San Diego Launches Fusion Engineering Institute

Led by the Jacobs School of Engineering, the University of California San Diego (UCSD) has launched a new engineering institute. The focus is on ensuring that recent advances in fusion science lead to safe and abundant clean energy for the United States and the world, according to UCSD. The new campuswide effort is called the Fusion Engineering Institute.

Of late, the international fusion research community has made strides in understanding he science of fusion. Concurrently, some fusion energy pilot projects have generated good preliminary results, according to UCSD.

Remaining gaps are connected to the engineering challenges that need to be resolved for commercial fusion, especially related to cost-competitive fusion energy power plants for worldwide energy needs. 

“The launch of the Fusion Engineering Institute marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to advancing fusion technology. This institute is a pivotal step in deepening our collaborations with UC campuses, national laboratories, startups, long-established companies and a variety of local, national and global partners,” says Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Corinne Peek-Asa. “The institute embodies UC San Diego’s commitment to build a coalition capable of tackling the engineering challenges facing this dynamic, complex and rapidly evolving field.”

As part of the institute launch, UCSD is recruiting for two mechanical and aerospace engineering faculty positions in fusion engineering (assistant professor in fusion engineering and associate or full professor in fusion engineering) within the Jacobs School of Engineering.

“In many ways, the challenge of fusion engineering hits the sweet spot for a top-tier engineering school like ours. The challenges are imposing, but they are not impossible. With strengths in many of the relevant areas, we have the responsibility to step up and organize what is needed in order to turn visions of fusion energy into practical realities,” says Albert P. Pisano, dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and Special Adviser to the Chancellor. 

In recent years, there have been advances in fusion energy generation and milestone achievements by government laboratories and private industry. Private investors have invested, upwards of more than $6 billion. 

The U.S. government also has growing interest in fusion energy. In 2022, the White House held a summit hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, where they discussed building multiple fusion pilot plants operating as part of new fusion technology hubs around the country within the next 10 years.

Fusion Engineering Challenges

Fusion engineering research projects vary widely, from mechanics challenges, to materials science, lasers, magnets, artificial intelligence, controls, data science, supercomputing and more. 

“The challenges are cross disciplinary and require deep collaborations. When it comes to fusion, we are engaged in many of these collaborations and partnerships already, and we are in conversation regarding many others,” says Javier Garay, associate dean for Research and Mechanical Engineering Professor at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. Garay is the founding director of the new institute. “Priorities will evolve as the field advances, and we will collaborate as we go.”

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.