Derek Sutherland is the VP of R&D at Realta Fusion, a Wisconsin-based company focused on the development of high-field, compact, magnetic mirror fusion power plants.
Previously, he worked at Zap Energy leading experimental physics on the FuZE-Q platform. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Washington focused on the development of inductively sustained spheromak configurations. Before his Ph.D., he received his B.S. in Nuclear Science and Engineering and in Physics from MIT and had the opportunity to work on a multitude of fusion concepts at MIT, General Atomics, General Fusion, and Los Alamos National Laboratories.
Lastly, Derek is a currently serving member of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Advisory Committee (SCAC).
