Phil Ferguson named MPEX Project director

March 19, 2026 – The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) Project is at a critical juncture, with components being delivered and tested on site to ensure a successful start-up in early 2028. Once operational, the MPEX facility will play a crucial role in uncovering the scientific solutions necessary to make fusion energy a reality.

To ensure the Project’s successful completion, it will be rolled into the new Nuclear and Isotope Project Office (NIPO), effective immediately. Phil Ferguson will assume the role of MPEX Project Director and head of NIPO in addition to his current roles in the Isotope Science and Enrichment Directorate (ISED). John Sanseverino, current MPEX Project Director, will remain an important part of the MPEX leadership team as he begins to transition to retirement.

Phil served as MPEX Project Director from 2019 through October of 2024. He brings extensive knowledge of both the MPEX Project and Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate (FFESD), having previously served as Fusion Energy Division Director. An accomplished project director, Phil coordinates several key isotope production projects, which amount to nearly $1 billion of DOE-funded projects.

John has had a long and fruitful career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, having joined the lab in 2012. He assumed leadership of the MPEX Project in 2024.