MURF 2026
3rd MPEX User Research Forum (MURF-3)
Thursday & Friday, March 19-20, 2026 – University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
Welcome to the registration page for the 3rd MPEX User Research Forum (MURF-3), a 2-day workshop held March 19-20, 2026, to get community input on the 5-year research plan for the Material Plasma Exposure Experiment (MPEX), currently under assembly at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) is a linear plasma device designed to address crucial R&D gaps in the area of Plasma Material Interactions (PMI) for future fusion reactors.
MPEX is identified in DOE’s Fusion Science & Technology Roadmap as a key near-term facility for addressing challenges related to erosion, redeposition and co-deposition, gas implantation, surface morphology evolution, hydrogen retention, and effects of thermal transients. The MPEX plasma source and heating systems will allow exposure of plasma facing materials and components to high-flux, high-fluence plasmas for up to one million seconds. MPEX will also be unique for its ability to expose neutron-irradiated materials to prototypic fusion reactor divertor plasma conditions.
Meeting Information
MURF-3 will be held in Room 4201 of the Robert Conn Executive Conference Center in Franklin Antonio Hall at UCSD.
3180 Voigt Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093
See this list of recommended hotels for your stay.
Registration & Important Dates
Register for MURF-3 via the form below.
Registration is capped at 75 participants. Contact Zeke Unterberg at [email protected] for questions.
Sorry, registration for MURF-3 has closed. Please contact Zeke Unterberg at [email protected] if you have further questions.
3rd MURF (MPEX User Research Forum) Goals and Planned Outcomes
- Follows series of community meetings going back to 2019 → Focus this time is on:
- Research plan alignment to U.S. Fusion S&T Roadmap
- Prioritizing research objectives (PROs), from e.g. MURF-2, towards the early MPEX run campaign
- As with past MURFs, formal report will follow, which includes:
- A community-informed research plan for beginning of operations
- Priorities for next steps after early operations
- Enhanced capability PROs, including diagnostic needs
- Un-enhanced capability PROs
- Look forward to your participation to the above & through:
- Helping to answer the following:
- Does the MPEX research program align with the U.S. Fusion S&T Roadmap, U.S. Fusion materials roadmap, and industry needs in a timely way?
- Are the early (Year 1 & 2) MPEX operational campaigns aligned with the U.S. Fusion S&T Roadmap, U.S. Fusion materials roadmap, and industry needs, and scientifically compelling?
- Provide your ideas for MPEX experimental participation via “research opportunities forum (ROF)” – style breakouts
- See ROF template slide below in “Presentations”
- Helping to answer the following:
MURF-3 Relevant Reports
- DOE Office of Science Fusion Science & Technology Roadmap
- 1st MPEX Users Research Forum (MURF) summary report: specifications for the Surface Analysis Station (SAS)
- Report on the Second MPEX User Research Forum
Presentations
Research Opportunities Forum (ROF) template
MPEX Introduction
MPEX Diagnostics
MPEX 5-Year Plan & Transition to Operations (T2OPS)
MURF-3 Tentative Agenda
Day 1 (Thursday, Mar. 19)
| Time | Event | Speaker(s) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00–9:10 a.m. | Welcome | Unterberg & Garlay | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
| 9:10-9:30 a.m. | FES Perspective/Intro | Echols | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
| 9:30-10:15 a.m. | MPEX Intro & MURF-3 goals | Unterberg | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
| 10:15–10:30 a.m. | Coffee Break | ||
| 10:30 a.m. – Noon | MPEX Transition to Operations & 5-Year Research Plan Discussion | Curry & Unterberg | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
| Noon – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch Break | ||
| 1:30-2:15 p.m. | MPEX Diagnostics | Biewer | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
| 2:15–3:00 p.m. | PMI Priority Research Needs | Unterberg + Panel | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
| 3:00–3:30 p.m. | Industry PMI Research Needs | Carter + Panel | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
| 3:30–3:45 p.m. | Coffee Break | ||
| 3:45-4:45 p.m. | Research Thrust Intros | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 | |
| PMI Thrust 1: Solid Surface PFMs (~15 min) | Baldwin & Donovan | ||
| PMI Thrust 2: Liquid Metal PFMs (~15 min) | Maingi & Nieto-Perez | ||
| PMI Thrust 3: Material Migration (Erosion/Redep) (~15 mins) | Abrams & Nichols | ||
| PMI Thrust 4: H retention (~15 mins) | Kolasinki & Shamada | ||
| 4:45–5:00 p.m. | Daily Close-Out & Wrap-Up | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
Day 2 (Friday, Mar. 20)
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00–9:15 a.m. | Welcome & Goals for MPEX research opportunities breakouts | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
| 9:15-10:15 a.m. | Thrust 1 & Thrust 2: Intro + Round 1 Pitches | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 & 4202 |
| 10:15–10:45 a.m. | Coffee Break | |
| 10:45-11:45 a.m. | Thrust 3 & Thrust 4: Intro + Round 1 Pitches | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 & 4202 |
| 11:45 a.m. – Noon | Quick Thrusts Debrief | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
| Noon – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch Break | |
| 1:30–2:30 p.m. | Thrust 1 & Thrust 2: Continue Pitches & Prioritization | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 & 4202 |
| 2:30-3:00 p.m. | Coffee Break | |
| 3:00–4:00 p.m. | Thrust 3 & Thrust 4: Continue Pitches & Prioritization | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 & 4202 |
| 4:00-5:30 p.m. | Group PRO Prioritization & Debrief | R. Conn Center, Rm. 4201 |
| 5:30 p.m. | End of MURF |