Neil Mitchell

After completing his PhD at Cambridge University on the fluid mechanics of turbomachinery, Neil Mitchell entered the nuclear fusion world in 1981 during the completion of the JET tokamak, and participated extensively in the early superconducting strand and conductor development program of the EU in the 1980s, as well as in the design/manufacturing of several small copper-magnet-based magnetic fusion devices. He was involved in the prototype manufacturing and testing of the superconductors that eventually became the main building blocks of the ITER magnets, and participated in the development and first tests of facilities such as Fenix at LLNL and Sultan at PSI. He has filled several positions within the ITER project after joining as one of the founder members in 1988, in particular as the section leader for the ITER conductor in the 1990s with the highly successful construction of the CSMC in Japan, and then after as division head responsible for the magnet procurement. He was responsible for finalising the magnet design, negotiating the magnet in-kind procurement agreements with the ITER Home Institutes and direct contracts, following and assisting the industrial production qualification and ramp up in multiple suppliers in EU, Japan, Korea, China, US and Russia. The ITER conductor production was completed in 2016 and now with the completion of the first-of-kind magnets and the delivery to the site, he is working as an advisor to the ITER director, deeply involved in problem solving in the interfaces to the ITER on-site construction as the ITER magnets are delivered, contributing to the magnet control and commissioning plans and advising the EU on the design of a next generation fusion reactor.