The next upcoming virtual Science Dialogue will take place on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. ET in support of the U.S. government's International Partnerships in a New Era of Fusion Energy Development and will primarily concentrate on the importance of international cooperation to advance broader goals to realize fusion energy as a viable energy course.

Our event will feature:

Scott Hsu, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor and Lead Fusion Coordinator
Office of the Under Secretary for Science & Innovation
U.S. Department of Energy

Scott Hsu is a Senior Advisor and Lead Fusion Coordinator in the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where he coordinates DOE-wide strategy and leads a crosscutting team to accelerate the path toward commercial fusion demonstration and deployment. Previously (2018-2022), Scott was a Program Director at APRA-E, where he formulated and led its fusion research portfolio. Prior to ARPA-E, Scott was a research scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory (2002-2019), where he led experimental research spanning magnetic, magneto-inertial, and inertial confinement fusion. Scott is the author or co-author of 85+ peer-reviewed publications, a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), and a co-recipient of the 2002 APS Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research. Scott earned a Ph.D. in Astrophysical Sciences (Program in Plasma Physics) from Princeton University and a B.S. summa cum laude in Electrical Engineering from UCLA.

Dr. Stephanie "Steffi" Diem
U.S. Science Envoy focusing on Fusion Energy

Dr. Stephanie "Steffi" Diem is an Assistant Professor in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). Her experimental plasma physics research focuses on using microwaves to heat and drive current in magnetically confined, high-temperature plasmas for fusion energy development. Dr. Diem is the Principal Investigator of the new Pegasus-III experiment that is developing innovative ways to start up future fusion power plants. She is a member of the New Voices of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), and was a speaker at the White House Summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy. Prior to joining UW-Madison, she worked as a R&D Scientist in the Fusion Energy Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and served a long-term assignment at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility at General Atomics in San Diego, CA. Dr. Diem received her B.S. in Nuclear Engineering at UW-Madison and Ph.D. in Astrophysical Sciences from Princeton University.

Dr. Jean Paul Allain
Associate Director of Science
Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. Jean Paul Allain is the Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) in the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC). With an annual budget of approximately $800M, Dr. Allain leads the FES with multiple areas including enabling and foundational burning plasma science including advanced tokamaks, theoretical and simulations, and long-pulse fusion plasmas. In addition, FES supports research in fusion materials and nuclear science, discovery plasma science and plasma technology, high-energy density plasmas and inertial fusion energy. FES also supports the US participation in ITER and public-private partnerships. Prior to joining FES in July 2023, Dr. Allain was Professor and Head of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. He was associate head in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and associate professor at Purdue University. Dr. Allain led the Radiation Surface Science and Engineering Laboratory (RSSEL) conducting research in plasma-material interactions and authored over 350 peer-reviewed and proceedings papers in experimental and computational modeling work in particle and plasma-surface interactions with high-temperature materials in nuclear fusion, plasma medicine and nanomaterials. Dr. Allain was also Faculty Entrepreneurial Fellow at UIUC with over 10 patents in advanced materials, founder of Editekk Inc, Energy Driven Technologies LLC, and a Fulbright fellowship in tech innovation.

Andrew Holland
Chief Executive Officer
Fusion Industry Association

With over two decades of experience in science, energy, policy, and politics, Andrew has been at the forefront of discussions surrounding sustainable energy security and addressing climate change. Since 2021, Andrew has been the founding CEO of the Fusion Industry Association (FIA), providing strategic direction and advocating for fusion energy through direct action. Prior to his time at the FIA, he was active in policy discussions about energy security, Arctic policy, climate security, and water resources at high-profile events around the world. As an expert in energy policy and international strategy, previously worked for the American Security Project and on Capital Hill for Senator Chuck Hagel.

Andrew holds a MSc. in International Strategy and Economics from the University of St. Andrews and is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He lives with his family in Alexandria, VA.