The academic research ecosystem required to support the development of fusion energy

Abstract

The advent of a fusion energy industry is being strongly supported by academics and universities, with the majority of fusion companies launching out of universities. Universities also play critical roles in technical innovation, workforce development, and independent arbiters of science and technology. The ability of the US academic landscape to support and grow the fusion energy sector is analyzed via a numerical distribution of full time faculty engaged in fusion and plasma. This data is compared to university support in two existing technology-driven industries: nuclear and aeronautics. This comparison clearly shows that the university system requires not only significant absolute growth but also a wider distribution of faculty at universities and across the required disciplines.