Bhatia named new head of ITER projects at PPPL

Ravinder Bhatia, a leader and engineer with three decades of experience managing collaborative science initiatives, is the new head of ITER projects at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). 

In this role, Bhatia oversees the design and fabrication of six diagnostic systems, or sensor systems, that PPPL is building for ITER, the multinational facility under assembly in France to study plasma that can heat itself and sustain its own fusion reactions. The diagnostics will observe the plasma within ITER to measure properties that include temperature, density, and rotation speed, and ultimately increase the efficiency of the fusion reactions.

“I am delighted to serve in this leadership role of guiding and collaborating with the ITER team across the US and the international partnership,” said Bhatia. “I’m pleased the efforts of the entire team working alongside me have been recognized.”

“I am thrilled that Ravinder has taken on this important role at the Lab, as this is a critical project for PPPL,” said Mike Ford, PPPL’s associate laboratory director for engineering. “His years of experience with complex research and technology projects and his familiarity with PPPL make him an excellent fit, and we are confident he will lead the team to success.”

Bhatia has extensive experience with the ITER project at PPPL. As deputy head of ITER Group, he deepened the strategic partnerships with the US ITER project based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the ITER Organization in France, US ITER subcontractors and ITER partners around the world, including leading international efforts to coordinate development of the mirrors and cleaning systems for the optical components that face the intense heat from the plasma. As interim head of the ITER diagnostics department, he led the reorganization of PPPL’s ITER team. He also spearheaded the completion of the program re-baseline and the execution of the new plan. 

Contributing to a major multinational effort

ITER is expected to produce conditions that generate self-heated burning plasma, a state in which the dominant source of heat for the plasma are the fusion reactions themselves. 

“PPPL’s diagnostics are critical to the ITER project’s success,” Bhatia said. “The information they gather will help optimize high-power plasma performance and aid the design of future fusion reactors, in turn supporting eventual commercialization of fusion power. Our role is very important.”

But Bhatia views ITER more as just a technological endeavor. “I also see my role within the ITER project as helping bring countries together in a peaceful science initiative,” he said, “and I hope that through this project we can foster channels of communication to support cooperation, engagement, dialogue and understanding.”

A succession of successes

Before arriving at PPPL, Bhatia was involved in several significant projects spanning subjects ranging from astronomy to astrophysics to oceanography, including the Thirty Meter Telescope, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) observatory. As a Senior Engineer at the European Space Agency, he helped design parts of the Planck Space Telescope and supported the development of the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) camera for the James Webb Space Telescope.

Bhatia earned his bachelor’s degree in aeronautics from Imperial College in 1991 and his Ph.D. in experimental astrophysics and aerospace engineering from Queen Mary College in 1998. He earned a master’s degree in international relations from Cambridge University in 2005, and is a Senior Member of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Bhatia lives in Sierra Madre, in Southern California, by the San Gabriel mountain range and the Angeles National Forest, with bears, bobcats and red-tailed hawks. In his spare time, he enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, including cycling, hiking, and spending time at the ocean. He also volunteers as a soccer referee for kids ages 8-14. “Being a referee is an opportunity for me to contribute to my community, which has supported my family coming to the United States as immigrants and welcomed us,” Bhatia said. He also volunteers on Saturdays at a food bank, preparing boxes of food for donation to low-income families and the homeless.

About US ITER

US ITER is managed by  Oak Ridge National Laboratory with partner labs Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory. DOE Laboratories, universities, and industry contribute hardware design, testing, and fabrication to the project.

PPPL is mastering the art of using plasma — the fourth state of matter — to solve some of the world’s toughest science and technology challenges. Nestled on Princeton University’s Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro, New Jersey, our research ignites innovation in a range of applications, including fusion energy, nanoscale fabrication, quantum materials and devices, and sustainability science. The University manages the Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which is the nation’s single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. Feel the heat at https://energy.gov/science and http://www.pppl.gov.