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Dr. Christian Perez von Thun of the Department of the Thermonuclear Plasma Research at the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion has become a member of the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) group in the area of Pedestal & Edge Physics. This decision was announced on 12 December 2024 at the EUROfusion governing board meeting. Christian Perez von Thun will be a member of the group from January 2025 till December 2030.

ITPA is an international fusion research organisation. Its activities focus on experimental tokamak magnetic confinement plasma fusion devices. The organisation supports projects such as ITER and other fusion programmes by providing key data for the design and optimisation of future fusion reactors. ITPA's structure includes a Coordinating Committee and thematic groups that bring together scientists from different countries to provide a platform for international collaboration.

The Pedestal & Edge Physics group, joined by Dr. Perez von Thun, studies the processes occurring at the edges of the plasma in fusion reactors - where the hot interior of the plasma meets its cooler outer layer. This research is crucial to maintaining plasma stability, controlling plasma edge phenomena such as ELM (Edge Localized Mode) modifications, and ensuring efficient heat and particle removal. Working with researchers from around the world, the group is developing solutions that will allow experimental ITER reactor under construction in the south of France to operate safely and efficiently, bringing us closer to obtaining clean and limitless energy from nuclear fusion.