Erik Trask

Vice President of Fusion Science, TAE Technologies

Dr. Erik Trask is Vice President of Fusion Energy at TAE Technologies, where he leads experimental fusion science and plasma research efforts aimed at commercializing next-generation fusion energy systems. A plasma physicist and fusion scientist, Trask oversees operational and experimental activities within TAE’s Fusion Division, helping advance the company’s development of hydrogen-boron fusion technology — an approach designed to provide carbon-free, utility-scale energy with minimal radioactive waste and enhanced long-term sustainability. Trask joined TAE Technologies in 2011 as a research scientist working on the company’s C-2 Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) fusion device and has since risen through the organization’s scientific leadership ranks. Over the course of his career at TAE, he has played key roles in plasma operations, machine diagnostics, pulsed power systems, experiment design, and advanced data analysis infrastructure supporting the company’s fusion research platforms. He has also led collaborative projects involving machine learning and fusion optimization, including joint research initiatives with Google focused on improving plasma confinement and experimental performance. At TAE, Trask has contributed to development of advanced fueling systems, RF diagnostic probes, experimental scheduling systems, and operational strategies for high-performance plasma experiments. His research interests include plasma modeling, wave heating in overdense plasma, high-power rotating magnetic field plasma sources, and optimization techniques for complex fusion systems. In addition to his industry leadership, Trask has been active in the broader fusion research community through the American Physical Society and the American Nuclear Society. He has served as an advisor to the DIII-D National Fusion Facility at General Atomics and was a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC), contributing to the development of the federal long-range strategic plan “Powering the Future.”