Connecting research communities: Task force makes recommendations to strengthen ties between Princeton and PPPL

Written by
B. Rose Huber
Catherine Zandonella
Oct. 30, 2024

With the goal of accelerating discoveries across areas ranging from clean energy to advanced microelectronics and fundamental scientific investigations, a task force comprised of leaders from Princeton University and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has issued a report outlining activities to bolster collaborations between the two institutions.

The report comes from the Lab-Campus Collaborative Research Task Force, which convened during the 2023-24 academic year to recommend actionable strategies for strengthening existing collaborations and promoting new partnerships that capitalize on the complementary strengths of University and PPPL faculty and researchers. 

“PPPL is a critical part of Princeton University’s research ecosystem and contributes significantly to regional economic activity,” said Peter Schiffer, Princeton’s dean for research, vice president for PPPL and Class of 1909 Professor of Physics. “Our close relationship with PPPL provides research opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and our faculty are proud to contribute to PPPL’s global scientific impact.”  

“The Lab and University already work together in complementary and powerful ways thanks to leaders like Emily Carter and others,” said Steve Cowley, Laboratory director and co-chair of the task force. “By creating more opportunities for collaboration, we open the door to even greater innovations.”

PPPL is a world-leading U.S. national laboratory solving the world’s toughest science and technology challenges using plasma, the fourth state of matter. The Lab’s primary aim is to advance the science and engineering required to produce fusion, a clean, safe and virtually limitless energy source. 

In 2022, the Lab diversified its research portfolio, recruiting Carter to be its inaugural senior strategic advisor for sustainability sciences. Now, Carter leads the Applied Materials and Sustainability Sciences (AMSS) Directorate as associate laboratory director for AMSS, alongside her Princeton University roles as the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment; professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; and applied and computational mathematics at Princeton University. 

Launched in 2023 by Carter, the AMSS Directorate focuses on the science and application of low-temperature plasmas to advance the fabrication of next-generation microelectronics and quantum information devices, as well as sustainability science, including electromanufacturing and aerosol science for the climate. The research unit has brought in millions of dollars in funding awards since its inception. 

Additionally, a new associated faculty program with Princeton University, spearheaded by Carter and PPPL’s Chief Financial Officer Kristen Fischer, is helping to strengthen the partnership between both institutions while forging bonds for even more powerful research collaborations. Associated faculty status gives Princeton faculty the ability to work with a department or departments outside of their primary appointment at the University. To date, six faculty at Princeton have been named PPPL associated faculty. PPPL will continue to grow the number of associated faculty at the Laboratory across all areas of scientific research aligned with its research diversification efforts.

“Historically, PPPL’s closest ties to Princeton have been to astrophysical sciences and mechanical and aerospace engineering, although collaborations with other departments are accelerating with the many opportunities arising these last few years from the DOE and other entities. PPPL, like other national laboratories managed by universities, opens doors for faculty into the DOE laboratory complex, enables team science and scale-up in ways simply not possible in a university-only setting,” Carter said. “Princeton should capitalize on these opportunities, just as other universities such as Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley, and the University of Chicago do with their neighboring national laboratories. It is also a huge bonus to the national lab to tap into the local talent at their neighboring universities. Together, the impact we can have is virtually limitless.”   

Princeton researchers were active in the founding of PPPL in the 1950s and maintained a strong culture of collaboration across areas of science and engineering. The University manages PPPL for the DOE.

The task force was charged with identifying and evaluating successful existing collaborations between researchers, surfacing the existing resources at each institution that researchers can access at both institutions, anticipating trends in external funding opportunities for collaborative research and examining other university-national laboratory collaborations around the country.

Recommendations from the task force focus on four areas:

  • Fertilize and grow collaborations by providing ways to learn about collaboration opportunities, develop and deepen connections, and leverage available tools and resources.   
  • Bolster assistance with locating research funding, including building awareness of relevant funding opportunities, providing expert assistance with proposal development and developing mechanisms for broader funding sources to be implemented for PPPL-based research.  
  • Create collaborative spaces and facilities where faculty members and researchers from each institution can work on jointly funded research projects.  
  • Minimize barriers to effective collaborations, including barriers to travel between the two institutions and administrative mechanisms for appointing PPPL researchers as faculty at the University. 

“The University and PPPL have a shared vision, and it’s one that serves humanity through research and scientific discovery,” said Schiffer and Cowley. “By fostering mutual research collaborations, we create pathways to world-changing innovations. We’re excited for the future.”

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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 https://www.pppl.gov.