Fusion at Columbia
by Carlos Paz-Soldan
This is an exciting time in the 65-year history of the Plasma Physics Laboratory. With the path to fusion power plants coming into sharper focus, Columbia is scaling up our capacity to partner with the fusion industry and train the next generation of researchers, technicians, and leaders.
Last year, we formalized this momentum by launching the Columbia Fusion Research Center. Through sponsored research partnerships, we provide on-call technical expertise — such as specialized calculations, design assessments, targeted research — and place students directly inside partner companies.
At our facility on West 120th St., roughly 80 students work across plasma physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. They operate Columbia's student-run tokamak and work with faculty on projects like designing stellarator configurations and developing computational tools to predict plasma behavior.
Earlier this year, we launched a new minor that prepares engineering students from across disciplines to enter the fusion workforce and research community, where they will join the generations of fusion professionals who have trained at Columbia since 1961. The challenges that stand between where we are today and a fusion-powered future will not be easily solved. That’s why we built this Center to grow alongside the fusion industry.
To explore a partnership, visit fusion.columbia.edu or contact us directly at [email protected].
Carlos Paz-Soldan is the director of the Columbia Fusion Research Center and an associate professor of applied physics and applied mathematics at Columbia Engineering.
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Associate professor of applied physics and applied mathematics at Columbia Engineering; Director of Columbia Fusion Research Center |