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FR
In memoriam

Charles Baker, 1943-2026

27 Apr 2026

The ITER Organization is saddened to learn of the passing of Charles C. Baker, an ITER “Home Team Leader" during the launch of Engineering Design Activities, responsible for coordinating American technical contributions to the international effort to design the ITER machine and plant.

Charles C. Baker

Dr. Baker’s distinguished career as a nuclear engineer and fusion-energy leader spanned national laboratories, academia, and the ITER program, and left a lasting mark. 

Before becoming Home Team Leader during the ITER Engineering Design Activities, Dr. Baker had already devoted more than two decades to fusion research. Beginning in 1972 as a senior physicist in the Fusion Division at General Atomics, he went on to serve in leadership roles as Fusion Technology Department Manager and Project Manager. From 1977 to 1989 he directed the Fusion Power Program at Argonne National Laboratory, also serving as leader of the Blanket Design Unit during the ITER Conceptual Design Activities from 1988 to 1989.

In 1989, he joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory as Associate Director for Technology in the Fusion Energy Division, later serving as Technology Manager of the US Home Team, then Home Team Leader from 1992 to 1994. He was also appointed as Research Program director in the Fusion Energy Division.

After moving in 1994 to the University of California San Diego, Dr. Baker served as engineering leader, Deputy Director of the Center for Energy Research, and Director of the Department of Energy’s Virtual Laboratory for Technology. Over the course of his career, he helped guide advances in fusion reactor design and enabling technologies, including materials, magnets and tritium systems. 

For several years, Dr. Baker was also the Principal Editor of the Journal of Fusion Engineering and Design. A Fellow of the American Nuclear Society and recipient of the US Department of Energy’s Distinguished Associate Award, he was widely respected for his technical vision, leadership and dedication to advancing fusion energy.

ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi paid tribute to Dr. Baker as “a remarkable leader who strongly contributed to the ITER project through his technical knowledge, management skill, and friendly personality.”

The ITER Organization sends its condolences to his family, friends and former associates.

See the obituary published on the Fusion Power Associates website. 

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