Pietro Barabaschi
Pietro Barabaschi | |
|---|---|
Barabaschi in 2024 | |
| Known for | Director-General of ITER |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Fusion power |
| Institutions | ITER, Fusion for Energy |
Pietro Barabaschi is an Italian engineer and fusion-energy executive who has served as the Director-General of ITER since 2022.[1][2] He leads the multinational ITER fusion experiment under construction in southern France.[3][4]
Career
Before becoming director-general of ITER, Barabaschi worked in the European and international fusion research sector. He held senior roles at Fusion for Energy (F4E), the European domestic agency responsible for managing Europe's contribution to ITER and related fusion projects.[5] He has also been associated with the Joint European Torus and earlier phases of the ITER programme.[6]
In September 2022, the ITER Council appointed Barabaschi as the next director-general of the ITER Organization, succeeding Bernard Bigot, who had died earlier that year.[7]
Director-General of ITER
Barabaschi took over ITER during a period of technical and scheduling challenges for the project. In early 2023 he acknowledged that ITER could face years of additional delays and that the previous timetable had not been realistic.[8][9]
In 2023, Bloomberg reported that Barabaschi was attempting to reorganize the 33-nation project after setbacks linked to global supply disruptions and earlier engineering issues.[10]
Industry publications later reported improved progress at the project. In 2025, Nuclear Engineering International wrote that ITER was "back on track" following a period of restructuring and recovery under Barabaschi's leadership.[11]
Barabaschi has also served as a public spokesman for the international fusion project and its multinational governance structure. A 2024 feature in Monocle described him as managing expectations around fusion energy while maintaining political support for the long-running collaboration.[12]
A 2025 Reuters report on ITER's magnet system quoted Barabaschi as saying that the project's earlier "crisis" had passed and that construction was proceeding at the fastest pace in ITER's history.[13]
Public profile
Barabaschi has appeared in international media coverage of the global effort to develop fusion energy. He was featured in a National Geographic report examining the scientific and political challenges of fusion power.[14]
In addition to his management role at ITER, Barabaschi has written about scientific culture and the importance of documenting failure in research.[15]
See also
References
- ^ Gibney, Elizabeth (16 September 2022). "World's largest fusion experiment ITER appoints new chief". Nature. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Dalton, David (20 September 2022). "ITER appoints Pietro Barabaschi as next director-general". NucNet. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "World's Biggest Fusion-Energy Project Searches for Lost Memory". Bloomberg. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Global nuclear fusion project crosses milestone with world's most powerful magnet". Reuters. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Pietro Barabaschi appointed Director-General of ITER Organization". Fusion for Energy. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Pietro Barabaschi appointed Director-General of ITER Organization". Fusion for Energy. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Gibney, Elizabeth (16 September 2022). "World's largest fusion experiment ITER appoints new chief". Nature. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Dalton, David (11 January 2023). "€20 billion ITER project could face years of delays, says new boss". NucNet. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "International nuclear fusion project may be delayed by years, its head admits". The Guardian. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "World's Biggest Fusion-Energy Project Searches for Lost Memory". Bloomberg. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "ITER project back on track". Nuclear Engineering International. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "ITER, the nuclear-fusion project proving that multilateral cooperation works". Monocle. 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Global nuclear fusion project crosses milestone with world's most powerful magnet". Reuters. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Ghosh, Pallava (14 October 2025). "Inside the colossal quest for limitless energy from nuclear fusion". National Geographic. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Barabaschi, Pietro (2024). "The importance of documenting failure". Nature Reviews Physics. 6 (5): 284–285. doi:10.1038/s42254-024-00702-7.