building on more than 70 years of fusion leadership
As Tennessee strengthens its leadership in advanced nuclear energy, the University of Tennessee–Oak Ridge Innovation Institute’s Fusion Technology and Materials for Extreme Environments Convergent Research Initiative is helping advance the future of fusion. Drawing on more than 70 years of fusion research at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the initiative unites experts across disciplines to solve the scientific and engineering challenges that will move fusion from the laboratory to pilot plants and commercial deployment.
Why Fusion?
Fusion has the potential to transform the nation’s energy future by providing abundant, reliable, carbon-free electricity using the same process that powers the sun. As public and private investment in fusion energy accelerates worldwide, significant technical challenges remain before commercial fusion power becomes a reality.
The Fusion Technology and Materials for Extreme Environments CRI is focused on overcoming those challenges by developing the technologies, materials and predictive tools needed to move fusion from the laboratory to pilot plants and, ultimately, commercial deployment.
Research Focus
The initiative brings together experts across disciplines to accelerate innovation in three interconnected research areas.
Magnets
Developing next-generation superconducting magnets for fusion systems.
Materials
Creating advanced materials capable of withstanding extreme fusion environments.
Modeling
Using advanced computing, machine learning and AI to accelerate fusion design and performance.
advancing america’s fusion future
By integrating expertise across disciplines, the Fusion Technology and Materials for Extreme Environments CRI is accelerating the development of technologies needed for fusion pilot plants and commercial fusion power. The UT-ORNL team is focused on:
- Advancing technologies critical to future fusion pilot plants
- Increasing the readiness of fusion materials and systems
- Accelerating innovation through advanced modeling, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing
- Training the next generation of scientists and engineers (UT joined with ORNL in 1957 to launch the nation’s first nuclear engineering program. Today, UT’s Nuclear Engineering doctoral program is the largest in the U.S.)
- Expanding partnerships among academia, national laboratories and industry
- Attracting investment and strengthening Tennessee’s growing fusion technology ecosystem
CRI Leadership Team
Brian Wirth, UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Computational Nuclear Engineering and the head of UT’s Department of Nuclear Engineering. He is the primary lead of UT-ORII’s Fusion Technology and Materials for Extreme Environments CRI
Robert C. Duckworth, ORNL Fusion Technology Group Leader and Senior R&D staff
Khalid Hattar, Director of the Tennessee Ion Beam Materials Laboratory and Associate Professor in UT’s Department of Engineering
Ana Gainer, Computer Scientist, Computer Science and Mathematics Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
CRI Research Team
Cain Ang, Research Associate Professor
Arpan Biswas, Research Assistant Professor
Hugo Bouteiller, ORNL R&D Associate
Dwaipayan Dasgupta, Research Assistant Professor
Alexis Devitre, Research Assistant Professor
Kwanglok Kim, ORNL R&D Associate
Calvin Lear, ORNL R&D Associate
Bryan Lim, ORNL R&D Associate
Klaus-Dieter Liss, Research Professor
David Rivera, ORNL R&D Associate
Whit Vinson, ORNL R&D Associate
Li Yang, Research Associate Professor