Erik H. Trask is the Vice President of Fusion Science, and leads the Experimental Section in the Fusion Division at TAE Technologies.

Erik joined TAE as a research scientist in 2011, working as a scientist, analyst and operator on the C-2 Field Reversed Configuration device while rising through the ranks. Erik has won the company’s annual award for achievement on two occasions, once for leadership in joint research with Google and once for assisting with the design and construction of the ~100GW pulsed power system on C-2W.

At TAE, Erik has managed a cryogenic hydrogen pellet fueling system, developed RF sniffer probes, served as chief operator and has been a frequent experimental Session Leader on the C-2W device at TAE. He was instrumental in the development of a shot scheduler system where batches of complete experimental machine settings are prepared prior to run days allowing efficient queuing of experiments.

His current responsibilities include managing operational activities, ensuring data analysis and processing pipelines are running well, and designing and scheduling experiments. His research interests include development of plasma models, studies of wave heating schemes in over-dense plasma, implementing efficient search techniques in high dimensions, and high power rotating magnetic field plasma sources.

Erik is a member of the American Physical Society and American Nuclear Society, where he has been a frequent presenter, served as session chair, and helped organize meetings. He has served as an advisor to the DIII-D program at General Atomics and been a member of the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC). While on FESAC, he also served on the associated subcommittee to produce the 2020 long range strategic plan ‘Powering the Future.’

Erik earned his Ph.D. in physics at the University of California, Irvine, where he conducted studies of fluctuation-induced transport on the Irvine Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC) and earned his bachelor of science degree in applied physics from Pacific Lutheran University.