The Initiatives to Grow New Innovate Talent to Enable Fusion Energy program, or IGNITE Fusion Energy, is seeking input on curriculum development from the fusion community and new collaborators to take part in its inaugural Fusion Innovation Bootcamp to be held summer 2026.
The IGNITE Fusion Energy program is a multi-institutional initiative that brings together researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory with fusion industry professionals and university faculty to educate and train the fusion workforce of the future through student mentoring, hands-on professional experience, specialized curriculum development and an emphasis on a multi-disciplinary approach to fusion energy science.
ORNL’s contribution to the IGNITE program is led by Joy Fan, a fusion engineer in the Blanket and Fuel Cycle Group in the lab’s Fusion Energy Division, or FED, with co-PI Arnold Lumsdaine, FED’s Private-Public Partnership Lead. Monica Gehrig, Rinkle Juneja, and Louise Ferris serve as the coordinators for curriculum development, student mentorship and outreach activities, respectively.
The team is currently working with academic partners at Tennessee Tech University, Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University, Southern Adventist University, Missouri University of Science and Technology and University of Tennessee – Knoxville to design industry-informed, fusion-focused coursework and workforce training initiatives.
These efforts will meet the education and hiring needs of the fusion industry over the next five years and prepare a new generation of researchers and technicians for careers in fusion engineering and technology.
The IGNITE Fusion Energy program is seeking input on which topics are of greatest interest to the private fusion industry. This survey will help the IGNITE team identify priority focus areas for the commercial fusion sector.
Fusion personnel sought for Fusion Innovation Bootcamp
The IGNITE Fusion Energy program is also launching the Fusion Innovation Bootcamp, an entrepreneurship and innovation-focused training program for students to engage with fusion industry professionals, national lab researchers and university faculties through lectures, panels, hands-on sessions and pitch presentations.
The Fusion Innovation Bootcamp is an intensive two-week initiative modeled after the Nuclear Innovation Bootcamp, which has demonstrated significant workforce development and increased retention in the nuclear energy field. The bootcamp is intended to attract students from a wide range of disciplines – both within and beyond traditional STEM fields – to fusion and encourage them to expand their knowledge and creativity to tackle real-world challenges in fusion applications.
The bootcamp will feature personalized mentorship, team-building activities, lectures about cutting-edge fusion engineering and technology research, and discussions on the fusion industry landscape, including regulatory frameworks, product development, financing, and more. Student teams will conceptualize and develop startup ideas for the fusion industry, culminating in a pitch competition judged by fusion professionals from industry and national laboratories.
This immersive learning process will help equip trainees with the innovative thinking skills and technical knowledge to succeed in a growing fusion workforce, and graduates of the program will continue to inspire and inform new trainees into the future. To make this a reality and ensure the success of the Fusion Innovation Bootcamp, IGNITE needs speakers, panelists, mentors, judges and sponsors from across the fusion community to participate in the pilot program. The initial class of 15 students is slated for June 15-26, 2026 at Tennessee State University, with an expanded program in summer 2027.
“The Nuclear Innovation Bootcamp was a life-changing experience for me when I was a student, and I would like to build upon that experience by offering the Fusion Innovation Bootcamp to university students,” said Joy Fan, ORNL’s IGNITE lead. “This will be an invaluable opportunity for students to engage with experts across the fusion field and gain the technical skills needed to drive the future of fusion energy. We need the fusion community to participate, so please join our effort and reach out to us.”
If you are interested in becoming a speaker, lecturer, mentor, judge or sponsor of the Fusion Innovation Bootcamp, please contact Joy Fan at fany1@ornl.gov or visit the IGNITE team page at https://sites.tntech.edu/ignite-fusion-energy/team/.
The private fusion company partners in the IGNITE program are Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Focused Energy, General Fusion, Kyoto Fusioneering, Realta Fusion, SHINE Technologies, TAE Technologies, Thea Energy, Tokamak Energy, Type One Energy and Xcimer Energy. – Sean Simoneau
