Support
Contact us

About the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center

The PSFC is a community of researchers, students, teachers, and staff passionate about plasma and fusion sciences. We bring together some of the smartest people in the world to research, educate, and support scientific endeavor and discovery.
01
Building the future of plasma and fusion on a legendary foundation

01

Our history

For nearly 50 years, we have been a top university-based plasma and fusion lab. The three Alcator tokamaks built and housed at our center have been invaluable in advancing understanding, and we continue to hold several world records for plasma pressure and magnetic field strength.

02

Our impact

We work on the cutting edge of magnet, plasma, and fusion research, and we have been for decades. We are one of the largest originators of plasma physics PhDs in the world, and a leading national and global collaborator in plasma and fusion science.

03

Our mission

As a truly multidisciplinary center, we leverage our strengths to conduct exciting research that has real-world impact. We provide our students with the knowledge and tools they need to be innovative leaders in the field.

04

Our vision

We want our work to change the world for the better; we want to empower our community to solve some of the greatest scientific challenges ever; and we want to inspire the next generation of scientists who can apply their knowledge to develop bold solutions.

PSFC by the numbers

110
funded research projects currently active at the PSFC
$
45M
annual PSFC research budget
90
PhD students studying at the PSFC
150k
square feet of lab space at the PSFC, the third most on MIT’s campus
7
MIT academic departments affiliated with the PSFC and with which students and researchers can collaborate

The PSFC's genesis

In the early 1970s, a collaboration between MIT’s Francis Bitter Magnet Lab (FBML) and a group of researchers in various MIT departments led to the first magnetic confinement tokamak experiment housed on campus, called Alcator. At the time, it was the highest field magnetic confinement device in the world. Success of that program and a growing national interest in fusion energy provided the initial impetus for the formation of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (then called the Plasma Fusion Center). 

Officially founded in 1976, the PSFC became a home for the plasma physics and fusion research conducted across MIT, in the FBML, and at the Research Lab for Electronics. Ever since, the Center has attracted leading experts from MIT and around the world to teach, conduct science, collaborate, and study.

psfc control room sm

Join our team

Innovative? Motivated? Collaborative?
We’re hiring qualified individuals in a variety of disciplines to join us.

See open positions