Alejaldre Losilla, Carlos

Carlos Alejaldre Losilla

Carlos Alejaldre (1952, Zaragoza, Spain). Master in Physics by Zaragoza University, received his Doctorate in Electrophysics at the NYU Polytechnic Institute of New York and worked there until he joined CIEMAT (formerly Council of Nuclear Energy) in 1986. In 1992 he became the first Director of the Spanish National Laboratory for Magnetic Confinement Fusion, and was the technical Director responsible for preparing and defending the Spanish proposal for siting ITER in Spain. In July 2006 he was elected Deputy Director-General by the International Organization ITER, formed by China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and United States to construct a multi-billion experiment in the south of France (Cadarache) to prove the scientific and technological viability of nuclear fusion as an energy source. He remained at this position until 2015.

Chairman of the European Fusion Science and Technology Advisory Committee (1999-2004). Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Max-Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (2002-2008) and of the United Kingdom Engineering and Research Council Fusion Advisory Board (2004-2012) among other international advisory groups.

Executive Director of the Commission for the Implementation of IFMIF-DONES in Spain (2016-2021), Director General of CIEMAT (Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, MedioAmbientales y Tecnológicas) from September 2018 until May 2022 and now CIEMAT Emeritus Scientist, he was elected in January 2022 as Chairman of the Governing Board of the European Joint Undertaking “Fusion for Energy”, charged with providing the European contribution to the ITER Project.

Decorated with the Encomienda of the Order of Isabel la Católica (2003) and the Encomienda con Placa de la Orden Civil de Alfonso X el Sabio. Research award “Carlos Sanchez del Río” of the Spanish Nuclear Society.