Richard Buttery to Join UCLA as Kenneth C. Griffin Endowed Chair Holder in Fusion Science

Richard Buttery, an internationally recognized fusion physicist and former director of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, is joining UCLA as a professor and the inaugural holder of the Kenneth C. Griffin Endowed Chair. The appointment, effective Nov. 1, 2026, will be shared between the Division of Physical Sciences and the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.

The endowed chair is made possible by philanthropist Ken Griffin’s $5 million gift to UCLA to establish the chair and create a new master’s degree program in fusion science and engineering, with Buttery serving as its executive director. The support will strengthen UCLA’s longstanding contributions to fusion science and advance the scientific understanding and technologies needed to make fusion energy a reality.

“Richard brings a remarkable combination of scientific expertise, research leadership and experience advancing fusion toward practical energy applications,” said Miguel García-Garibay, Dean of Physical Sciences. “His appointment builds on UCLA’s established strengths in plasma physics and fusion research, while creating new opportunities to bring together scientists and engineers to address some of the field’s most important challenges.”

Buttery comes to UCLA from General Atomics in San Diego, California, where he led the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, the largest magnetic fusion research facility in the United States. Before joining General Atomics in 2009, he spent 16 years with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, working on major fusion research programs, including the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak and the Joint European Torus.

“Richard joins UCLA at an exciting time for fusion research. Recent breakthroughs and growing federal and private investment are accelerating progress toward transformative fusion energy research,” said Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of UCLA Samueli. “Our engineering faculty and researchers look forward to working with him to tackle the complex challenges involved in developing fusion energy systems and materials.”

Buttery’s research has advanced understanding of the stability and behavior of plasmas confined by magnetic fields, including the physics of instabilities that can affect fusion performance. He has also led efforts to develop compact fusion pilot plant concepts. He was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society in recognition of his contributions to fusion plasma physics and leadership in national and international fusion research. He was also named a fellow of the UK Institute of Physics. His experience directing a major national research facility and coordinating collaborations across academia, government and industry will help UCLA expand its fusion research program and strengthen connections between fundamental science and the development of future fusion energy systems.

“I’m excited to join UCLA and work with its outstanding community of scientists and engineers to pioneer new fusion concepts and ideas,” Buttery said. “UCLA has terrific foundations in plasma science, fusion research and engineering. We have a unique opportunity to pioneer fusion energy concepts that work for the long term in ‘steady state’ configurations. I seek to build on UCLA’s strengths with a collaborative team approach that empowers many PIs to take leadership across the range of fronts needed to make fusion energy a reality.”

The appointment comes as Griffin continues to make significant philanthropic gifts to higher education and research, underscoring his commitment to advancing scientific discovery and innovation.

“Unlocking the power of fusion energy would be one of humanity’s greatest achievements, providing our nation and the world with an abundant source of clean and reliable energy,” Griffin said at the time of the gift announcement. “I’m proud to support UCLA in advancing this vital research and training the next generation of fusion engineers, physicists and researchers.”