Physics Colloquium: Dr. Matthew Moynihan
Physics Colloquium
The State of the Fusion Energy Industry
Dr. Matthew Moynihan
Founder, NLF Consulting
Abstract: Nuclear Fusion has advanced significantly in the past 20 years from a university‐driven, academic, government funded field, to a private, privately funded industry. Today there are more than 30 firms around the world with stated plans to build the world’s first power producing fusion power plant. These companies have collectively raised over 5.5 billion dollars in private capital. In November 2021, private investment into fusion surpassed government funding into fusion for the first time in US history. Certainly, most of these firms will fail, due to the high risk and knowledge gaps in industry, but if one firm succeeds it would offer the world a fundamentally new energy source. NLF Consulting was founded in 2018 to help investors understand the field of nuclear fusion. The firm assembles teams of fusion subject matter experts (mostly retired staff from academia, government laboratories and industry) to assess the quality of startup pitches on behalf of investors. NLF has worked with Honda, Westinghouse, the Naval Research Laboratory, the European Commission, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Oxford Science Enterprises, and other organizations to navigate this space. In this talk, the founder of NLF will walk through the past, present, and future of fusion research and the emerging fusion startup space. The talk will also discuss the broad industry trend of adding superconducting wire and magnet to existing fusion approaches and what that means for future fusion devices.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Moynihan has devoted over 16 years into understanding and communicating nuclear fusion. He believes we need fusion power to stave off the worst impacts of climate change. His consulting firm (www.newlightconsulting.net) offers insight to private investors trying to understand nuclear fusion. His firm is a member of the Fusion Industry Association where he sits on the government relations, space, and communications committees. His fusion content has appeared in: CNBC, IEEE, Spectrum, Forbes, Merger markets, The Boston Globe, The UK Daily Mail, Bloomberg News and on 90.1 KZSU Stanford. In 2018, he was named a Quora Top Writer on the topic of Nuclear Fusion, with over 500 answers and over 1 million impressions. His new book “Fusions’ Promise” is being published by Nature-Springer in April 2023. He was also the host of a popular fusion podcast (www.thefusionpodcast.com) and ran a nuclear fusion shark tank for investors and fusion companies (www.nuclearfusionsharktank.com). He holds a PhD focusing on Inertial Confinement Fusion, from the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics. He was also a Senior Nuclear Engineer for the US Navy, working on the safety of nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers in Pittsburgh. He was an NCAA D1 cross country runner at the University of Buffalo and grew up in Rochester. He is also a husband and father.
Intended Audience: All are Welcome
To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
Open to the Public
Interpreter Requested?
No