The Learned Society of Wales was pleased to support Swansea University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering’s 2025 Zienkiewicz Lecture through our FLSW Event Support scheme. The lecture, on ‘The UK Fusion Programme’, was delivered by Professor Sir Ian Chapman, CEO of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Lecture Recording
You can watch a recording of the lecture here.
Speaker’s Biography
Professor Sir Ian Chapman is the CEO of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), taking up post in August 2025. UKRI brings together the UK’s Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England, operating with a combined budget of more than £9bn per year.
Professor Chapman is currently Chief Executive Officer of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), a position he has held since October 2016.
He has held a number of international roles in fusion, including currently chairing the International Atomic Energy Agency International Fusion Research Committee.
His research has been recognised with a number of international awards, including:
- the Institute of Physics Paterson Medal in 2013
- the American Physical Society Stix Award in 2017
- the Royal Society Kavli Medal in 2019
- the Institute of Physics Glazebrook Medal for leadership in 2021
He was made a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in 2013, became a visiting Professor at Durham University in 2015 and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2022.
In 2023, he was knighted in the King’s New Year’s Honours, made an Honorary Fellow of the Nuclear Institute and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Abstract
Fusion offers the potential to provide continuous, safe and low-carbon power. However, there remain technical challenges to overcome to realise fusion as well as various other enabling measures which will be needed to make fusion a reality as soon as possible.
This talk explores the U.K. approach to delivering fusion and setting this in the context of other major fusion programmes internationally. It describes the major technical challenges required to deliver a magnetic fusion powerplant and gives a brief overview of some of the key deliverables and discoveries that will be required on that pathway. An overview of recent major discoveries in the field is presented together with a future outlook for the pathway to delivering fusion power.