Fusion at Columbia: Systems Design, Industry Engagement, and Fusion Technology
Culminating in the recently announced launch of the Columbia Fusion Research Center, Fusion at Columbia has been expanding into new directions and with new partners. This presentation will discuss a mix of fundamental research carried out at Columbia sponsored by the federal government, and research in support of the growing private fusion sector sponsored directly by industry. Technical topics to be discussed will be in the areas of fusion systems design, applied plasma physics in support of fusion industry, and new initiatives in fusion technology applied to magnets, blankets, and fuel cycles. The role of partnerships will be emphasized, whether in collaboration with industry, national laboratories, or international partners.
Bio: Carlos Paz-Soldan is received his B.Sc.E. degree in engineering physics from Queen’s University at Kingston in 2007 and his Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012. After his Ph.D., he worked as a scientist at General Atomics in San Diego until he was appointed with tenure to Columbia in 2021. Paz-Soldan’s activities are motivated by the desire to solve the scientific and technological challenges standing in the way of harnessing controlled fusion energy on earth. He has contributed particularly to developing solutions for transient off-normal event control in magnetic fusion devices. He is the recipient of the Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Prize in 2013 and the Thomas H. Stix Award for Outstanding Early Career Contributions to Plasma Physics Research in 2021, both from the American Physical Society. He became an APS fellow in 2024.