Fusion energy has long been called the “holy grail” of clean power because in theory it’s cheap, abundant, clean, and safe. Yet despite 100+ years of scientific research and billions in investment, the profound engineering challenges associated with fusion-based power are far from settled. 

Join us for a fireside chat on April 21, 2026 with Sir Steven Cowley, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).

Sir Steven Charles Cowley is a British theoretical physicist widely regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on nuclear fusion. Since 2018 he has been the Director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, one of the U.S.’s flagship fusion energy research centers, after having been CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority from 2009–2016 and head of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, where he led the United Kingdom’s national fusion research program.

In this conversation, moderator Duncan Turner (General Partner, SOSV & Managing Director, HAX) and Steven will explore: 

  • Fusion’s hardest problem: why controlling plasma is so difficult & what’s finally changing
  • The role of AI: how AI & data are accelerating reactor design & plasma stability
  • From lab to grid: what still stands between experiments & commercially viable power
  • Plasma beyond fusion: how plasma physics is transforming semiconductors, advanced manufacturing & quantum devices
  • The role of national labs: how institutions like PPPL & the HAX Plasma Forge are partnering with startups, investors, and industry to bring these technologies to market

About HAX

SOSV’s HAX provides hard-tech founders a 6-month collaborative residency, hands-on engineering support, and an initial investment package of up to $550,000. HAX has a flagship 35,000 square foot facility in Newark, with additional offices in Shenzhen, Pune and Tokyo, and expansion planned for a new facility focused on applications of plasma physics called HAX Plasma Forge in Princeton.


For any questions, please email us at events@sosv.com