Name: Rogerio Jorge
Title, including department and school you work in: Assistant Professor, Physics Department, College of Letters & Science
Hometown: Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Educational/professional background: I did my Ph.D. in Physics at EPFL, Switzerland, and finished in February 2019. Then I started a Postdoc at the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, and later, as a Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow, I went to Max-Planck Institute, Greifswald, Germany. Most recently, I’ve worked as a researcher in IST, Lisbon, Portugal.
What is your field of research, and how did you get into it? I work in fusion energy and plasma physics. My first experience with it was at the end of my bachelor’s degree when I traveled to Switzerland as an exchange Erasmus student to perform comparisons between experiments and simulations of fusion devices. Since then, I specialized in the theory of such devices, ultimately leading to new ideas for advanced designs being currently used in worldwide research efforts.
What attracted you to UW-Madison? UW-Madison is currently positioned at the forefront of the race to fusion energy, with a renowned program in plasma physics and fusion, a set of state-of-the-art experiments, and home to startup companies in fusion. It is one of the most exciting places to work, at least for the next decade or two.
What was your first visit to campus like? I visited the campus in February. As I got off the bus from Chicago, I looked around and saw the most beautiful snowfall I have ever seen. And it was falling on top of a frozen lake! The next day I met many wonderful people and ate plenty of good food. In general, it went as well as it could go.
What’s the most important lesson you wish to convey to students? I would like to show students that while physics is made of paradoxes and things that don’t make sense, those are its exciting features! Solving such problems and uncovering new phenomena is precisely what leads to the most amazing discoveries in humanity, making physics so addicting.
Does your work relate in any way to the Wisconsin Idea? If so, please describe how.
Fusion energy, since its infancy, has been based on the ideals of collaboration between academic institutions, government agencies, and the private sector. Furthermore, the exchange of knowledge between institutions has been detrimental to its development. With the goal of creating a virtually unlimited and clean energy source for peaceful purposes, fusion enthusiasts like me should continue to use research for the benefit of society, expanding the borders of the Campus, one of the core principles of the Wisconsin Idea. This way, we can address complex societal challenges in a more comprehensive manner.
What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter at parties? Our life on Earth is only possible due to nuclear fusion. Fusion is what powers the Sun and other stars where atoms combine to produce energy in a process that we understand very well. If we can replicate that process on Earth, but on a much smaller scale, we would have virtually unlimited energy. The smallness of such a machine when compared to the sun is one of the crucial points that are being addressed in the new machines that are now being designed.
Hobbies/other interests: I play the classical guitar and I love to learn more instruments. I also have a Rubik’s cube collection and I have even participated in a championship once!