The IFMIF/EVEDA Project Leader (PL) is responsible for the coordination of the implementation of the Project. The PL is appointed by the Broader Approach Steering Committee and is assisted by two Project Managers, one from QST and one from F4E, and by the Project Team, which comprises experts and other members, such as visiting scientists.
Dr. Hervé Dzitko has been Head of the IFMIF Unit at Fusion for Energy and European Project manager of the IFMIF/EVEDA project since May 2019. He obtained his PhD in Nuclear Astrophysics from the Paris XI-Orsay University in 1995, earned a Master’s degrees in Physics Engineering at Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble in 1992, and a Master’s degree in Nuclear physics at Grenoble University the same year.
He started his career in 1992 in the Astrophysics department at CEA, where he studied solar and stellar interior physics until he obtained his doctorate, then he was space radiation physicist and space project quality manager until 2001. Next, he moved to the CEA Military Application Division where he successively supervised diverse experimental projects until 2007 and was appointed as Head of a particle accelerator facility until 2013. Afterwards, he became part of the IFMIF/EVEDA programme as CEA project manager of the LIPAc superconducting radio frequency LINAc in the Institute of research into the fundamental laws of the Universe at CEA/Saclay. He joined thereupon the Broader Fusion Development Department at F4E in November 2015 as senior technical officer and expert in particle accelerator physics and technology in charge of coordinating and organizing the LIPAc commissioning programme until he was appointed as Head of Unit. In 2025, he became the IFMIF/EVEDA Project Leader.
Kazuo Hasegawa graduated from Tohoku University in Sendai where he studied nuclear engineering. He started at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) in 1990, where he worked on the development of high intensity proton linear accelerator (linac) for the accelerator driven nuclear waste system (ADS).
A high intensity proton accelerator project, (later called J-PARC, Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex) was started as a joint project between JAEA (after JAERI) and High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) in 1999. He took a lead on the design, construction, commissioning and operation of the J-PARC linac. In 2011, he had been the Accelerator Division Head of J-PARC, where he engaged in the management of operation and performance upgrade of the J-PARC accelerators. He has been assigned as an expert of the IFMIF/EVEDA Project Committee since the first meeting in 2007. In 2020, he moved from JAEA to National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Rokkasho. In 2021, he is appointed as the Director of Department of Fusion Neutron Materials Research and IFMIF/EVEDA project JA Home Team Project Manager.
Fabio Cismondi graduated as a nuclear engineer at the Polytechnic School or Torino (Italy) and obtained his doctoral degree at CEA Cadarache and University of Toulon and Var (France) in Optics, Image Treatment and Processing. He worked in CEA Cadarache (France) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, Germany) in the design of Plasma Facing Components for Nuclear Fusion devices and in the design and analyses of Test Blanket Modules for ITER experimental reactor and Breeding Blankets for DEMO power plant.
He worked in Fusion for Energy in Barcelona (Spain) as responsible officer for the procurement of Electron Cyclotron Power Sources for ITER. He worked as part of the Programme Management Unit in Garching (Munich, Germany) as Responsible Officer for the Breeding Blanket work package and as responsible of In-Vessel Components integration for DEMO and supporting the TBM programme for ITER. Since 2019 to 2022 he worked in F4E on the Linear Accelerator LIPAC based in Rokkasho, Japan, as coordinator for maintenance, installation and commissioning activities. As of 2022 he is part of the accelerator group in Garching and currently accelerator group leader.
After a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Ecole Normale Supérieure of Cachan (France), Yann CARIN studied Material Science and Structural Mechanics during his doctorate at the Solid Mechanics Laboratory (Ecole Polytechnique, France). He pursued his research career at the California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, USA) investigating thermo-mechanical behavior of new materials.
After which, he developed his engineering skills working for more than 12 years in aeronautic and aerospace industries in France participating to many big projects such as the Airbus A380 aircraft and the new European space launcher Ariane 6. In 2010, he joined Fusion for Energy to provide the European contribution to the ITER project. Working in particular on the Test Blanket Module (TBM), he defined the work plan for the qualification of structural material, namely EUROFER97, of the European TBMs. He also shares his expertise as a Chief Scientific Investigator for International Atomic Energy Agency in several Coordinated Research Projects such as Small Specimen Test Techniques For Fusion Applications. So as an end user of the material irradiation facility, he naturally joined the IFMIF/EVEDA unit of the Broader Approach in 2018 to be the co-coordinator of the Machine Operation Group of the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator and to manage the European procurements to the project in collaboration with Japan. As of May 2022, he became the Project Leader of the IFMIF/EVEDA at Rokkasho, Japan.
Philippe Cara is the Project Leader of IFMIF/EVEDA since April 2018 located in Rokkasho (Japan). He attended the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers of Aix-en-Provence where he graduated in Electrical Engineering. He has a long experience in Fusion Research projects working in this field since 1994.
He started his career with the development and application of the European High Power CW Gyrotrons for ECRH Experiments and concluding with the enhancement of the magnetic power supply of Tore Supra at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in Cadarache, France.
In 2007, he became the group leader of the Electrical division of the Institute for Magnetic Fusion Research of CEA at Cadarache. During this period, he was also the Responsible Officer of the French contribution to the Power Supplies of the JT-60SA project, one of the Broader Approach projects.
He joined in 2010 the Broader Approach Programme & Delivery Department of Fusion for Energy (F4E) in Garching, Germany for coordinating the procurement of the EU-HT contribution of the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc – IFMIF/EVEDA Project) until his assignment in Japan.
Born in 1967, Dr. Juan Knaster graduated in 1990 in Theoretical Physics in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and three years later in Nuclear Engineering in the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
After one year experience in nuclear industry, in 1995 he joined CIEMAT in the last stages of the design of the Spanish Stellerator TJ-II. In 1999 he became staff in CERN in its LHC division, where he also obtained his PhD in mechanical engineering. In 2004, he renounced to his career in CERN to re-join his professional passion, the Fusion Programme, as member of the Magnet division of the ITER International Team based in Garching but demanding long periods in Naka.
As ITER Organization staff he was the engineer responsible of the design of the TF coils and the Pre-compression rings of ITER. In the summer of 2012, he became F4E staff and moved to Rokkasho as Project Leader of IFMIF/EVEDA, where he remained until 2018. Presently, he is Deputy Head of the ITER Programme Department based in Cadarache.
Dr. Yoshikazu Okumura was born in 1952 in Iyo-gun, Ehime Prefecture. He graduated from Matsuyama Higashi High School in Ehime Prefecture and entered the Faculty of Engineering at Osaka University. He started fusion research in his fourth year at Osaka University and started his job carrier at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute in 1978. He led the development of negative ion sources in the world, and at the request of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), published a textbook “Fusion Physics” for students who want to study nuclear fusion.
After the development of the negative ion source, since 2001, he has participated in international intergovernmental discussions as a member of the Japanese government in order to invite the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) to Japan. In particular, as a key contact person on the Japanese side, he led and put a tremendous amount of effort for siting ITER. After the ITER site was decided, he was deeply involved to make a framework for Broader Approach activities to be launched as a Japan-Europe joint project, and contributed greatly to its initiation.
Immediately after the start of a Broader Approach activities, he settled in Rokkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture, and has been involved in the development of sites for Broader Approach activities in Rokkasho. He has led starting up the activities there as the Director of BA Project Unit of Fusion Energy Directorate in JAEA . In recent years, he has been involved in the development of neutron sources for the development of fusion reactor materials, etc., and has been developing accelerators for medical neutron sources such as IFMIF prototype accelerator and that for BNCT.
In this way, Dr. Okumura made great achievements in the fields of nuclear fusion and accelerators, but unfortunately he passed away in March 2017.
