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News & Media

Latest °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Newsline

  • Fusion supply chain | A glimpse into the future for commercial fusion reactors

    Most of the USD 7 billion in investment in private fusion initiatives has gone to companies that are building devices from the ground up. But recently, another [...]

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  • Outreach | °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ @ October science festivals

    Every October, before schools pause for two weeks of holiday, towns and cities in France open their municipal spaces to scientific experts of all stripes who ar [...]

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  • Image of the week | °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Director-General visits Russia

    The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Director-General was in Russia last week, meeting with stakeholders and holding technical meetings with colleagues in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. As [...]

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  • Image of the Week | Sector 5 is on its way

    The first vacuum vessel sector produced in Europe travelled last week between Monfalcone, Italy, and the French port of Fos-sur-Mer. The 440-tonne component had [...]

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  • Anniversary | °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Document Management system turns 20

    Whatever its nature, every large project generates huge numbers of documents. And when project collaborators operate from different countries, as was the case f [...]

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Of Interest

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People

A new generation of Monaco-°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Fellows

The seventh group of Monaco Fellows has joined °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ with funding from a longstanding partnership between the Principality of Monaco and the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization. The Monaco-°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ postdoctoral fellowship is designed to support young researchers in fusion science and engineering.

Valentina, Lei, Damien, Anna and William make up the seventh group of Monaco-°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Fellows. This program, funded by the Principality of Monaco since 2008, offers two-year research assignments in science or engineering at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ, where the Fellows focus on priority issues for the project. (Click to view larger version...)
Valentina, Lei, Damien, Anna and William make up the seventh group of Monaco-°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Fellows. This program, funded by the Principality of Monaco since 2008, offers two-year research assignments in science or engineering at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ, where the Fellows focus on priority issues for the project.
Since 2008, five postdoctoral researchers have been chosen every two years for two-year research assignments at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ. The latest group, from °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Members China, India, Europe (France), and Russia, arrived between August 2020 and February 2021. Two of the Fellows have joined the Engineering Design Department, while three others are part of the Science, Controls & Operation Department.

Lei Chen (China): Lei earned her PhD from the University of Innsbruck, Austria. At °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ, she analyzes the damage to plasma-facing components caused by plasma disruptions to provide key input for the limits of those components and for the ongoing updates of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ safety files. Her interest in fusion stems from the global energy problem and her home country's need for clean energy. She also enjoys being part of a profession that is still developing, where there are new challenges to face and puzzles to solve.

Damien Colette (France): Originally from Nice, Damien has a PhD from Aix-Marseille University. His work, both in doctoral studies and at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ, is focused on detecting the transport of impurities in plasma. Damien's passion for fusion sparked during an internship with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). He worked with the TCV tokamak there and was drawn to fusion as he learned about its potential to solve some of the dilemmas of nuclear power—fusion creates far less radioactive waste and provides a cleaner, safer alternative to fission.

William Gracias (India): William holds a PhD from University Carlos III of Madrid and Aix-Marseille University through the Fusion-DC doctoral program. He is researching detachment, a process in plasma physics that will help preserve the integrity of divertor materials as they face the heat of plasma. William is driven to study fusion for its potential as a new source of energy. During his childhood, William experienced regular power outages: "I had to spend many a nights by candlelight as I prepared for my school and university exams." Seeking more reliable and renewable energy, he discovered fusion.

Anna Medvedeva (Russia): Anna earned her PhD in Plasma Physics from the Technical University of Munich and University of Lorraine through Fusion-DC. She creates synthetic diagnostic models, which can be used to model different stages of operation in the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Tokamak. Anna was inspired by a visit to an institute of nuclear physics and chose to study plasma physics because it can be applied to a wide array of real-world practices. Choosing a narrow specialization would mean eliminating other areas Anna is passionate about.

Valentina Nikolaeva (Russia): With a PhD from the Institute of Plasma and Nuclear Fusion in Lisbon, Valentina's research focuses on reflectometry to study plasma density and turbulence. Her journey to fusion began before she was born, as her father aided in the construction of the Chernobyl sarcophagus. He told Valentina that humanity needed a new source of energy, one that was safer. During her academic career, Valentina kept returning to her father's words. "Somehow, I was always choosing something related to physics," she says. "And then I fell in love with tokamaks."

The Monaco-°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ fellowship is a mutually beneficial relationship. The Fellows, just starting their careers, learn from specialists in their field at the most advanced fusion project on the globe. Meanwhile, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ gains new ideas and fresh energy from these Fellows.

"The Monaco Fellowships allow the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization to match the brightest early-career professionals with issues that °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ must address," says Chief Scientist Tim Luce. He adds that, out of the 30 Fellows who have passed through °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ, at least 16 of them are still active in the fusion community. Ten Fellows continue to collaborate with °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ with the help of their own post-doctoral students.

The Fellowship has created a lasting impact on the fusion community and has formed a network that continues to multiply with each new generation of Fellows.



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