Maingi joined PPPL in 2012 after serving on a long-term assignment from
Oak Ridge National Laboratory to the
National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) at PPPL from 1999 to 2012. During this time, he became a recognized expert in understanding the behavior of fusion plasma edges and their interactions with
tokamak walls. His research includes studying the effects of plasma interactions with
lithium, which has been shown to improve a tokamak's performance and prolong fusion reactions. As head of Tokamak Experimental Sciences (TES) at PPPL, Maingi oversees a restructured organization that brings together all PPPL departments and divisions developing tokamak science. The reorganization aims to enhance PPPL's role as the U.S. national laboratory devoted to fusion energy science and to prepare for
ITER research, operations, and participation in tokamak
fusion pilot plant design activities. Units under TES include the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U), the
Lithium Tokamak Experiment-Beta (LTX-β), Public and Private Tokamak Collaborations, the
DIII-D National Fusion Facility, ITER Research and Operations Coordination, and the TRANSP project. ==References==