Generation Fusion: The human factor in the fusion equation
Alf Köhn-Seemann, Duncan Barlow, Herve Besaucele, António J. Coelho, Kristel Crombe, Andreas Dinklage, Felicity Maiden, Mazena Mackoit-Sinkeviciene, Andrius Tamosiunas
The human factor in fusion energy development is about those who will take fusion from the laboratory to the grid and under what conditions. While this is among the most strategically important dimensions of the field, it is also among the least formally discussed. During the 51st European Physical Society (EPS) Conference on Plasma Physics in Vilnius, Lithuania, Generation Fusion was held as a satellite event on July 9th 2025. It was set-up as a panel discussion and was a direct sequel to the Visions for Fusion event held at the 50th EPS Conference. The panel brought together six researchers and industry representatives from different career stages, working in magnetic confinement fusion, inertial confinement fusion, and related fields. Using live audience polling of approximately 100 participants, panel discussions, and an open Q&A, the event explored topics including motivation and retention of early-career researchers, the role of mentoring and soft skills, public-private partnerships, mobility between institutions and countries, interdisciplinary collaboration, and communication with society and policy-makers. A clear and consistent finding emerged: the field faces not a lack of motivation, the overwhelming majority of attendees expressed a desire to remain in fusion, but rather structural barriers such as employment instability, limiting mentoring frameworks, and insufficient permeability between academia and industry. The panel closed with a strong consensus calling for greater diversity, more equitable career paths, and a shift away from metrics such as the H-index towards broader definitions of scientific impact, including, for example, public communications.
