The plasma boundary: A major challenge for fusion science and material technology for ITER and beyond

The decision to construct the next step fusion experiment, ITER, marks a commitment by the world to realise fusion power as an alternative sustainable clean energy source. A key technical requirement for successful operation is to control thermal and particle transport at the boundary where the fusion core (100,000,000 K) meets the low temperature (1000 K) wall. The phenomena associated with these plasma-surface interactions involve an challenging mix of plasma physics, ion-solid collision physics, materials science, surface physics and chemical and electrical engineering. With this fellowship I will lead Australian fusion research in this new interdisciplinary field enhancing national and international collaborations.