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Francesco Sciortino

Co-Founder & CEO @ Proxima Fusion

Francesco Sciortino is the co-founder and CEO of Proxima Fusion, a fusion energy startup in Munich. The company focuses on quasi-isodynamic stellarators for fusion power plants, with a keen interest in the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator. Francesco advocates for Europe's prowess in stellarator research and the importance of innovation and breaking away from conventional norms.

Francesco completed his PhD in plasma physics and fusion energy at MIT in 2021, delving into research on tokamaks like Alcator C-Mod and DIII-D in the USA. He later joined the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Germany, contributing to divertor spectroscopy and optimization projects on the ASDEX-Upgrade tokamak and the W7-X stellarator. Francesco has also been involved in experimental research on negative triangularity tokamak scenarios.

His educational background includes a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Plasma and High-Temperature Physics from MIT, a Master of Science (Msci) in Physics from Imperial College London, and participation in the Swiss-European Mobility Programme, focusing on Plasma Physics. Francesco's diverse research experiences have taken him to renowned facilities like the MAGPIE Z-pinch facility at Imperial College London, the TCV tokamak at EPFL in Switzerland, and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in the USA.

Throughout his career, Francesco has held various roles such as Co-Founder & CEO at Proxima Fusion, BSF Fellow at Wilbe, Scientific Coordinator at EUROfusion, Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Assistant, and Doctoral Student at prestigious institutions like MIT and Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. He has also contributed to research projects and programs at institutions across the UK, Switzerland, USA, and Germany.

Francesco Sciortino's expertise lies in fusion energy, plasma physics, stellarator and tokamak research, Bayesian inference, optimization, and experimental research coordination. His commitment to advancing fusion energy technology and his multidisciplinary background make him a valuable asset in the field of plasma physics and fusion energy research.

Highlights

Aug 16 · linkedin

It was truly a pleasure to welcome Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany to the Proxima Fusion office today. Minister Stark-Watzinger's now-famous "it's not a question of if, but when", speaking about #fusion, is energizing our quest for the power of the stars.

It's a great time to be in fusion... and a great time to get into it, if you are looking for a way to make a difference! Join us: https://lnkd.in/dTaWuKgV

Jun 27 · linkedin

Fusion is hard, but it does not need to be a black box. We at Proxima Fusion support the Commonwealth Fusion Systems stance on the need to build public trust and credibility for #fusionenergy in the private sector.

As outlined in Bob Mumgaard’s open letter, peers and journalists should ensure that when they report on #fusion they focus on claims that are (a) easy to measure, (b) peer reviewed, (c) public, and (d) easy to understand.

Bob’s letter suggests six milestones that should be recognized for all fusion approaches. Quoting from the letter: “There is a growing role for communicators, for influencers, and for editorialists to track the progress and check the claims. We shouldn’t expect the companies to fact-check each other – they should provide evidence for other parties. “

Since its foundation, Proxima Fusion has been working with public partners, particularly the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Our colleagues know the quality of our work, and we look forward to sharing our progress with the wider world in peer-reviewed publications that we are currently finalizing.

Link to Bob's letter: https://lnkd.in/d2FV9p_s

Francesco Sciortino
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Location

Munich, Bavaria, Germany