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HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco meets ITER postdocs
Michel Claessens, Head of ITER Communication
HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco meets ITER postdocs
Supporting young fusion scientists: HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco (fourth from right) is pictured with Monaco Fellow Ian Pong; Minister of State His Excellency Michel Roger; Monaco Fellows Shimpei Futatani and Sun Hee Kim; ITER Director-General Osamu Motojima; Monaco Fellows Debasmita Samaddar and Jing Na; and Minister for Finance and Economy Marco Piccinini. Crédit: Gaëtan Luci / Palais Princier
On Monday 14 May, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco met with the five researchers who were awarded postdoctoral fellowships from the Principality of Monaco last year to work at ITER Organization in 2011-2012. This was the second group of ITER postdoctoral fellows funded by Monaco under a Partnership Arrangement with the ITER Organization.
During a reception at the Prince's Palace, Sun Hee Kim (Korea), Shimpei Futatani (Japan), Debasmita Samaddar (India), Jing Na (China) and Ian Pong (UK) gave short presentations on their research, which the Prince received with great interest. The topics ranged from advanced simulation codes and modelling, to the performance of ITER superconductor strands and advanced control of the cryogenic system. (See Newsline 206 for more information on the Fellows' research.)
Like his father before him, HSH Prince Albert II shows a deep interest in science and environment. During the reception, he reiterated his wish to contribute to the fusion project that will benefit mankind, and to support a young generation of fusion scientists and engineers.
ITER Director-General Osamu Motojima said, "It is a great honour for me to meet His Serene Highness alongside the Monaco postdoctoral researchers. I wish to sincerely thank him for his strong interest in fusion research and for his support and encouragement." The Director-General also underlined the high quality of the Monaco Fellows who have been selected from across the ITER Members' communities (five in
October 2008, five in
September 2010).
For the third edition of the fellowship program (appointments beginning in 2012), the ITER Organization received 70 applications from highly qualified candidates—testimony to the continued attractiveness and competitiveness of the program. The Monaco/ITER Postdoctoral Fellowship program can be a real boost to a young scientist's career. After finishing their two-year appointments at ITER at the end of 2010, two Fellows were recruited for staff posts at the ITER Organization, one currently works for ITER as a contractor, and two obtained academic/research posts in their home countries.
As part of the Monaco-ITER Partnership Arrangement, the second MIIFED (Monaco-ITER International Fusion Energy Days) event on ITER-related research and industrial developments will be organized in Monaco in December 2013.
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