Welcome to FOSTER Webinar Series – Spring 2026!
Explore the Big Challenges Standing Between Today and Fusion Power.
Calling all university students with an interest in building a more sustainable world through clean energy innovation (Physics, Engineering, Computing, AI, Robotics).
If you’re curious about fusion, fascinated by extreme engineering, or wondering where your degree could take you, the UKAEA FOSTER Webinar Series is your chance to dive into the science and technology shaping the future of clean energy.
Across seven weekly webinars, UKAEA experts will unpack the biggest challenges on the road to commercial fusion, from the physics of ultra-hot plasmas to robotics, AI, and fuel handling. Join the full series or dip in and out based on your interests, it’s completely flexible.
Each session is 45 mins and is delivered live by UKAEA specialists who will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Registration
You must register by completing the registration form. We encourage you to be logged into Indico (the web-based event management system hosting this site) to register.
To register, select the ‘Registration’ tab in the menu on the left-hand side of the page.
Why attend?
- Get insights into the biggest scientific and engineering challenges in fusion
- Hear directly from UKAEA researchers shaping the future of global energy
- Explore career paths in plasma physics, engineering, robotics, materials, AI and more
- Build your knowledge, whether you join every session or just the ones that excite you
- Ideal for final-year students in physics, engineering, materials, computing, AI, robotics or related fields
Ticket and key dates
Plasma Science
Understand the physics at the heart of fusion energy: - turbulence, transport, heat confinement and the challenge of achieving burning plasma regimes. Hear how tokamak design choices from traditional geometries to spherical tokamaks shape the future of viable fusion power.
Speaker: Elina Militello Asp, Scenarios Team Leader
Date & Time: 21 January 2026 at 1pm – 1.45pm
Plasma Exhaust
How do you handle heat as intense as a spacecraft re-entering Earth’s atmosphere? Explore why the exhaust system is one of the biggest engineering challenges for fusion and how the Super-X divertor could be the key to commercial viability.
Speaker: Stuart Henderson, Principal Plasma Exhaust Physicist
Date & Time: 28th January 2026 at 1pm – 1.45pm
Robotic Maintenance
Fusion powerplants will rely on autonomous and remotely operated robots for maintenance in environments humans can’t enter. See how RACE, UKAEA’s centre for Remote Applications in Challenging Environments is designing the robotics that will keep fusion machines running safely and efficiently.
Speaker: Ian Chiang, Mechanical Design Engineer
Date & Time: 4th February at 1pm – 1.45pm
Innovative Engineering
Fusion requires solving physics and engineering problems no-one has solved before. Discover how UKAEA engineers develop cutting-edge technologies and how insights flow between fusion, aerospace, Wind renewable energy and more.
Speaker: David Hancock, Technology Development Team Leader
Date & Time: 10th February at 1pm – 1.45pm
Enabling Material Research and Technical Capabilities
Find out how the UKAEA Materials Group provides the technical foundations that make advanced scientific discovery possible. This webinar highlights the team’s role in delivering engineering systems, from specialised scientific equipment to fully enabled Hot-Cell environments and even developing entire research facilities designed to support complex materials investigations. Understand how these capabilities come together to accelerate research, ensure safety and reliability, and empower scientists to push the boundaries of materials innovation.
Speaker: Jakub Jodlowski, Senior Engineer
Date & Time: 18th February at 1pm – 1.45pm
Fuel Handling
Tritium handling is one of fusion’s highest-stakes challenges. Learn how UKAEA’s world-leading fuel cycle experts manage, store and analyse tritium safely, and why this capability is essential for commercial fusion power.
Speakers: Rhiann Canavan, Thomas Holmes & Tamsin Jackson
Date & Time: 25th February at 1pm 1.45pm
Digital Engineering
Discover how AI, supercomputing and “digital twins” are accelerating fusion development. UKAEA’s collaboration with Dell Technologies, Intel and the University of Cambridge is building a virtual STEP tokamak to optimise design, reduce risk and speed up delivery of electricity to the grid in the 2040s.
Speakers: Stanislas Pamela, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Group Leader
Date & Time: 11th March at 1pm – 1.45pm
Ready to explore the future of clean energy?
Join us for a unique chance to learn, ask questions and shape your next steps.
Attend the whole series or pick the topics that inspire you most.
