Bio:
Mark Chadwick is the Associate Laboratory Director for Los Alamos’ Simulation, Computing & Theory (ALDSCT) directorate, advancing the high-performance computing, algorithms, and theoretical science that underpin stockpile modernization and broader national security missions and AI and quantum discovery science. He previously served as interim Los Alamos Deputy Director for Science, Technology & Engineering and as chief scientist/operating officer for Weapons Physics. He also served as program director for National Nuclear Security Administration experimental science programs and as division leader for simulation codes in ALDX. Chadwick has led the US nuclear data evaluation collaboration Evaluated Nuclear Data Files (ENDF) for almost three decades, creating the world’s highest-fidelity databases used worldwide in radiation transport codes, including the Laboratory’s Monte Carlo N-Particle code. Chadwick is an APS, ANS and LANL Fellow. He has published articles on technical fission and fusion history as well as in nuclear science.

Abstract :
I describe the history of fusion, from a crucial breakthrough at Michigan in 1938 (that had been forgotten) through Los Alamos’s pioneering fusion measurements in the 1940s-1950s, to the modern quest for controlled fusion energy. I will describe how UM’s first observation of DT fusion helped launch Oppenheimer and Teller’s drive for harnessing fusion. I will also explain how DT fusion created 10^67 J of energy 13.8 billion years ago.

The NERS Colloquia Series invites leading researchers, industry experts, and thought leaders from across the nuclear engineering and radiological sciences community to share their insights with students, faculty, and guests. Covering a wide range of topics—from cutting-edge research and emerging technologies to policy, education, and professional development—the weekly talks offer an opportunity to explore current issues and innovations shaping the future of the field.