Dr. Satoshi Konishi
Co-Founder, Representative Director,Chief Executive Officer and Chief Fusioneer

Dr. Satoshi Konishi co-founded Kyoto Fusioneering in 2019,now serves as its CEO and spearheads scientific development toachieve commercialization of fusion energy. With over four decadesin academics and R&D of fusion engineering, he contributed to fusion
reactor technologies and engineering from pioneering tritium fuelrecovery, system design, and separation methods to influencing
policy in fusion energy development with over 250 publications and40 patents under his belt.

1979

BS, University of Tokyo1981

MS, University of Tokyo

1981-2003

Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute1986, 1987

Assignment to Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA), Los Alamos, USA

1989-1991

National Laboratory, USA, As Japanese Team Leader under US-Japan Collaborative

1991

ProgramInvolved in first DT campaign at JET, United Kingdom

1991

ITER Engineering Design Activity Team Member at JAERI

2001-2011

Editor, Fusion Engineering and Design Journal, Elsevier

2003-present Professor, School of Energy Science, Kyoto University
2008-2012

Director, Institute of Sustainability Science, Kyoto University

2009-2012

Chair of the ITER TBM Program Committee

2012-2017

ITER Program Committee, Japanese Representative

2014-2016

Board of Director Member, Atomic Energy Society of Japan2017-present ITER TBM Project Steering Committee, Japanese Representative
2017-present Board of Director, Japan Society of Plasma Science and Nuclear Fusion Research

Key Scientific Expertise•Tritium processing technology, including:» Design and test of processing components including palladium membrane diffuser for purification,solid oxide electrolysis cell for tritiated water decomposition, vacuum pumps, storage bed
based on ZrCo intermetallic tritide, cryogenic distillation, thermal diffusion, CECE-tritiated water
separation, ion chamber, calorimetry, gas chromatograph.
» Modelling and strategic planning of tritium fuel cycle.
• Tritium and fusion safety, including:» Design and test of tritiated water processing system.
» Safety assessments, clean-up operations and environmental impact studies.
» Hands-on operation of tritium facilities.
• Design and testing of high-temperature breeder blanket technology.
• Advanced fusion materials focusing on divertor and high heat flux components.
• Fusion power plant design and energy applications including:» Design of Japanese DEMO plants and tokamaks.
» Non-electricity applications including hydrogen production and carbon capture.

Publications••••••

Park, C., Noborio, K., Kasada, R., Yamamoto, Y., and Konishi, S. “Compatibility of SiCf/SiC
Composite Exposed to Liquid Pb-Li Flow”. Journal of Nuclear Materials (JNUCMAT), Vol.
417, Issues 1-3, pp. 1218-1220. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Oct-2011; DOI: 10.1016/
J.JNUCMAT.2011.06.016Park, C., Nozawa, T., Kasada, R., Tosti, S., Konishi, S., and Tanigawa, H. “TheEffect of Wall Flow Velocity on Compatibility of High-Purity SiC Materials with Liquid Pb-Li Alloyby Rotating Disc Testing for 3000h up to 900°C”. Fusion Engineering and Design (FUSENGDES),
Vol. 136, Part A, pp. 623-627. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Nov-2018. DOI: 10.1016/
J.FUSENGDES.2018.03.042
Fukada, S., Terai, T., Konishi, S., Katayama, K., Chikada, T., Edao, Y., Muroga, T., Shimada, M., Merrill,B., and Sze, D.K. “Clarification of Tritium Behavior in Pb-Li Blanket System”. Materials Transactions,Vol. 54, No. 4, pp. 425-429 (Special Issue on Materials-System Integration for Fusion DEMO Blanket),
The Japan Institute of Metals, 2013. URL: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/matertrans/54/4/54_
MG201203/_pdf/-char/en
Yamamoto, Yoshihiko, Yamanashi, T., Kawamura, Y., Isobe, K., Yamamoto, Yasushi, and Konishi,
S. “Fundamental Study on Purity Control of the Liquid Metal Blanket Using Solid Electrolyte Cell”.
Fusion Science and Technology, Vol. 52, Issue 3: Proceedings of the 17th Topical Meeting on theTechnology of Fusion Energy (TOFE), pp. 692-695. Taylor & Francis, U.S.A., 2007. DOI: 10.13182/
FST07-A1570
Pearson, R., Baus, C., Konishi, S., Mukai, K., D’Angio, A., and Takeda, S. “Overview of Kyoto
Fusioneering’s SCYLLA© (“Self-Cooled Yuryo Lithium-Lead Advanced”) Blanket for Commercial
Fusion Reactors”. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, PP(99), Nov-2022. DOI: 10.1109/
TPS.2022.3211410
Konishi, S., Kasada, R., Okino, F., “Myth of initial loading tritium for DEMO ー Modelling of fuel systemand operation scenario”. Fusion Engineering and Design 121 (2017), pp. 111-116.
Konishi, S., Enoeda, M., Nakamichi, M., Hoshino, T., Ying, A., Sharafat, S., Smolentsev, S., “Functionalmaterials for breeding blankets ー status and developments”. Nucl. Fusion 57 (2017) 092014 (19pp)

Fusion Development Contribution
Born on November 20, 1956, in Tokyo, Dr. Konishi’s
journey in fusion sciences began with his education
at the University of Tokyo where he obtained his
PhD in Engineering in 1995. His early career at theJapan Atomic Energy Research Institute focusedon tritium engineering and reactor design, laying
the foundation for his later achievements.
At Kyoto University’s Institute of Advanced Energy
where he served as a professor for nearly 20years, Dr. Konishi’s research into tritium expandedto include the environmental sustainability ofnatural and advanced energy systems. Serving as
the director of Institute of Sustainability Science,
he delved into the solutions to issues pertaining
sustainable development. Dr. Konishi’s work inbiomass and hydrogen marks his dedication toenvironmental stewardship, inspiring a generationof scientists. His work as the Center Director of
the Complex Energy Processes at Kyoto University
underscored this leadership in the field, with over
250 publications and 40 patents under his belt. In
one of his most notable works, titled “Functional
materials for breeding blankets—status anddevelopments”, he analyzed the material neededfor breeding blankets in next-generation fusion
power plants.

Dr. Konishi’s visionary approach led to the cofounding of Kyoto Fusioneering in 2019. Here, hehas been instrumental in steering the company
towards innovative solutions in the fusion energy
landscape, leveraging his expertise to addresscommercialization challenges. His commitment
to nurturing the next generation of talent andrevitalizing the industry has been a hallmark of
his career. Within a few years of establishment,
Kyoto Fusioneering has claimed leadership of fuelcycle systems and plant technologies. Konishi,with his world-renowned expertise in the fieldby
addressing the technical challenges and proposing
solutions for the development of critical materials,
he propelled the fusion research on a highway path
to commercialization.
Throughout his career, Dr. Konishi has beenrecognized for his contributions to both academia
and industry. His extensive publication recordand numerous patents are a testament to hiscommitment to advancing the field of fusionenergy.
Dr. Konishi’s life, form a curious student in postwar Tokyo to a leader in fusion science, epitomizes
a dedication to addressing some of the mostpressing energy challenges of our times.