UCLA Samueli Part of University of California’s $8 Million Fusion Energy Initiative

Jaime Marian, a professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, will lead UCLA’s efforts as part of an $8 million University of California investment aimed at accelerating progress toward abundant, stable, zero-carbon fusion energy.

Marian and his team of researchers will contribute to the initiative’s effort to improve the performance and reliability of structural materials used in fusion energy systems. 

Nuclear fusion — the same process that powers the sun — occurs when two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing large amounts of energy. Unlike nuclear fission, which splits atoms, fusion produces no persistent radioactive waste and uses fuel sources that are abundant in nature. Researchers view it as a potential pathway to a long-term, carbon-free energy supply.

“Recent landmark achievements in fusion energy research along with a major influx of private investment and government funding have boosted interest in continued innovation,” said Marian, who also holds a faculty appointment in mechanical and aerospace engineering. “Still, there is a range of fundamental scientific and technical questions that need to be addressed for the fusion energy sector to continue to develop and succeed, including the development of new high-performance materials.”

The UC funding comes through the UC Initiative for Fusion Energy, which announced two three-year grants of $4 million each. The program supports faculty across five UC campuses as well as researchers at UC-affiliated national laboratories. The initiative targets three broad areas: developing materials capable of withstanding extreme fusion conditions, deploying advanced diagnostic tools for reactors and experiments, and enabling fusion systems that can generate and sustain their own fuel sources.

Marian’s work is part of the California Center for Fusion Energy — Materials and Diagnostics for Extreme Conditions, led by Farhat Beg, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UC San Diego. 

For fusion operation to succeed, materials must endure intense neutron irradiation, high mechanical stress and extreme temperatures — a combination that can degrade components and limit reactor lifetimes.

Marian has developed advanced computational simulation tools that predict how materials respond to such extreme conditions. As part of the UC-funded project, his team will apply these tools to design new, complex alloys with improved irradiation tolerance and high-temperature resistance. These engineered materials are considered essential for the safe, reliable and durable operation of future fusion devices, where long-term stability is required for sustained power generation.

Beyond materials research, the broader UC initiative supports efforts to deploy next-generation diagnostics that allow scientists to observe and measure key physical processes within fusion experiments. These tools help researchers understand plasma behavior, energy transfer and structural responses, providing data needed to refine reactor designs. Another focus area is developing fuel sources that can efficiently sustain fusion reactions, a major step toward achieving a self-sustaining fuel cycle.

The UC Initiative for Fusion Energy builds on the university system’s longstanding role in fusion research, which spans faculty expertise, campus laboratories and collaborations with Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national labs. The newly funded projects aim to accelerate scientific progress by connecting researchers across disciplines and institutions, creating a coordinated, systemwide effort around fusion innovation.

In addition to his role with this UC initiative, Marian is also the principal investigator on a four-year, multimillion, multi-institution grant awarded in 2023 to simulate the long-term performance of materials in future fusion reactors. Supported by the Department of Energy’s offices of Fusion Energy Sciences and Advanced Strategic Computational Research, the project is designed to harness the power of the department’s exascale-class supercomputers to improve understanding of fusion processes and simulate materials behavior in realistic fusion reactor conditions.