Note: In consideration of the expanded scope and more advanced state of the US Fusion Energy Sciences Program, modernization and expansion of our mission and goals is currently under consideration. Please use the “Contact Us” link above to share your thoughts.

Our mission

Advance the scientific understanding of burning plasmas and ensure the greatest benefit from a burning plasma experiment by coordinating relevant U.S. fusion research with broad community participation.

USBPO Goals

• Coordinate and advocate U.S. Burning Plasma research
• Provide a U.S. organizational structure for participation in BP program
  • Individual investigator and larger groups
• Optimize U.S. ITER participation and address issues beyond ITER
  • Promote and coordinate activities on existing experiments, theory and simulation, diagnostics, etc.
  • Identify and develop U.S. areas of excellence and interest in BP program (including staff)
• Educate and advocate burning plasma science to the wider scientific community
• Closely coordinate U.S. activities with U.S. ITER Project Office
  • ITER Physics R&D
  • Maximize U.S. exploitation of ITER
• Facilitate strong interactions with international partners

who’s who in the usbpo?

• Director: Charles Greenfield, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Deputy Director: Oliver Schmitz, University of Wisconsin
• DOE FES contact: Matthew Lanctot
• The USBPO has historically been organized with a supervisory Council and ten topical groups. In 2022, we made the decision to deactivate these groups so we could all focus on the US ITER Research Program Workshop. We also realized that the previous organization may not be the best approach for serving the community in 2025. As we modernize the USBPO we are considering a new structure to support national goals for producing and studying a burning plasma.

What has the USBPO done in the past?

Historically the USBPO has had a strong focus on ITER. This will continue, but with the broadening of burning plasma research in the public and private communities we expect to grow our focus. As we modernize we will be looking for new ways to support the burning plasma research community.

• Coordinated US response to ITER design review
• Organized targeted topical studies
• ITER International School (IIS)
  • Each year the USBPO provides scholarships to US students, post-docs, and early career researchers to attend the ITER International School. To date we have sent 135 students to these events, most of whom have continued their careers in burning plasma research.
    • We anticipate the scholarship program will continue in the future. Watch for announcements from the USBPO shortly after each year’s school is announced by the ITER Organization.
  • The USBPO has also hosted the IIS twice in the United States: Austin in 2010 and La Jolla in 2022.
• Activities at major conferences
  • Organizing the “Research in Support of ITER” contributed oral session at the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics (APS-DPP) annual conference.
  • As needed/appropriate, organizing and hosting town meetings as special sessions during APS-DPP and other conferences held in the United States
• Provide technical input for National Academies, FESAC, and other studies
• Assist our sponsor (DOE Fusion Energy Sciences) in organizing US participation in international activities including the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA), ITER Research Plan development, and more