UKAEA launches International Fellowships Scheme for fusion

The Scheme is part of the UKAEA’s Fusion Opportunities in Skills, Training, Education and Research (FOSTER) Programme, which aims to train, support, and empower the next generation of professionals, who will help deliver fusion power to the grid.

The first International Fellowships Scheme partner is Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), which is ranked among the world’s top 15 universities by the QS World University Rankings.

The scheme is designed to create high-impact post-doctoral research opportunities through collaborations between UK-based and international institutions. Under this initiative, Fellows will be recruited in complementary pairs, with one Fellow employed and primarily based in the UK, and the other employed and primarily based overseas. Working together in areas of shared interest to help build scientific knowledge across borders and solve key fusion challenges.

NTU is building on the pilot phase of the scheme and has begun recruiting its first Fellows.

Nick Walkden, Head of Fusion Skills Operation and Delivery at UKAEA, said:

“As a sector, we have recognised the need to develop the next generation of research leaders for fusion and have launched a programme of international fellowships for post-doctoral candidates to do just this. I’m excited that the first of these exciting opportunities is in collaboration with NTU, which shares our passion and drive, and I look forward to seeing our respective Fellows undertake their exchange programme in coming years.”

Professor Simon Redfern, Dean of the College of Science, NTU Singapore said:

“We are delighted to partner with the UK Atomic Energy Authority on the FOSTER International Fellowships Programme, which aligns with our commitment to advancing frontier research and nurturing global scientific talent in fusion energy. In recent years, our scientists have enjoyed a number of beneficial collaborations with international partners to pioneer innovative approaches in fusion science and decarbonisation. FOSTER marks an important next step.

“This new partnership with UKAEA will further strengthen cross-border research, enhance institutional capabilities, and accelerate our shared ambition to realise clean, sustainable energy through fusion. It also builds on longstanding ties between NTU researchers and their counterparts in the UK, and ensures that this spirit of collaboration continues to grow across future generations of scientists.”

Each fellowship will run for two years and include a minimum of 12 weeks of exchange between host institutions, enabling cross-cultural research experience and skill development. UKAEA will support the UK-based Fellow while the international partner institution will support the internationally employed Fellow.

Part of the Fusion Futures Programme, FOSTER supports 32 projects with a vision to build a fusion skills ecosystem – with international reach – that can train, develop, and grow the fusion generation who will deliver fusion energy to the grid.

FOSTER works with likeminded organisations committed to advancing the landscape of fusion science and technology through post-doctoral research opportunities.

The first cohort of the International Fellowships Scheme with NTU is expected to start in Autumn 2025.

More information about FOSTER and UKAEA’s International Fellowships Scheme can be found online: https://ccfe.ukaea.uk/programmes/fusion-futures/foster/academia/

International organisations interested in pursuing a fellowship, either with UKAEA or another UK-based organisation, or if you have any further questions, please email [email protected]

ENDS

For more information, please contact Mike Bridge, Media & Communications Manager, via email [email protected]

Notes to editors:

About the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority 

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is the UK’s national fusion energy research organisation. We are an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

The work we do 

UKAEA’s mission is to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy and maximise the scientific and economic benefit. We do this by being technical experts, partnering with companies and the international research community.

At the core of UKAEA’s efforts is the operation of world-leading facilities that build a comprehensive knowledge base for fusion energy. By addressing and solving the challenges across the full lifecycle of fusion, and integrating solutions from various disciplines, we establish technical centres of excellence that serve as the foundation for future fusion power plant programmes.

UKAEA collaborates with its partners to develop fusion power plants by providing access to our skills, facilities and expertise. UKAEA owns UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS) on behalf of the UK government. Through UKIFS, we’re spearheading the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme to design and build the UK’s first prototype fusion energy power plant in Nottinghamshire.

To grow the fusion ecosystem, UKAEA focuses on cultivating skilled talent, growing the fusion industry and creating ‘innovation clusters’. We actively seek opportunities to advance fusion technologies and communicate its vast potential to stakeholders and the public alike to accelerate fusion energy’s future – the energy of tomorrow we need today.

More information: https://www.gov.uk/ukaea. Social Media: @UKAEAofficial

About fusion energy  

When a mix of two forms of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) is heated to form a controlled plasma at extreme temperatures – 10 times hotter than the core of the Sun – they fuse together to create helium and release energy which can be harnessed to produce electricity. There is more than one way of achieving this. UKAEA’s approach is to hold this hot plasma using strong magnets in a ring-shaped machine called a ‘tokamak’, and then to harness this heat to produce electricity in a similar way to existing power stations.