Already the most advanced producer of nuclear energy and nuclear technology, Russia is now taking a major step forward in the development of fusion energy, a field in which they historically had been in the forefront. While fusion breakthroughs have been noted during the last few years primarily in China and the United States, Russia, which cooperates with China on fusion energy, has never abandoned its program. Now they are creating a joint Master’s program between the Kurchatov Institute and the National Research University (MPEI) in “Applied Plasma Physics and Controlled Thermonuclear Energy.”
The program provides students from the National Research University’s Department of General Physics and Nuclear Fusion with unique opportunities, including access to the Kurchatov Institute’s scientific infrastructure, participation in experiments on modern facilities, including pulsed plasma diagnostic systems, and scientific and technological internships at operating fusion reactors, including the T-15MD tokamak.
It is described in the official announcement as “a strategic step in the development of domestic fusion energy.” “By combining the fundamental training of MPEI and the experimental potential of the country’s leading scientific center, we are training specialists in demand for major international projects,” noted MPEI Rector Nikolai Rogalev.
The program will be supervised by leading scientists involved in international controlled thermonuclear fusion projects where graduates will gain unique competencies in plasma physics and fusion energy technologies.
