JP Allain – inaugural director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Fusion – is departing the agency after completing his tenure.
June 1, 2026
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The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the upcoming departure of Jean Paul (JP) Allain after completing his tenure. He initially served as the Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) Associate Director, followed by his appointment as the inaugural Director of the Office of Fusion, reporting directly to the Under Secretary of Science.
Dr. Allain was instrumental in the creation of the U.S. DOE Fusion S&T Roadmap and fostered the implementation of new and innovative DOE fusion initiatives like the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program and the Fusion Innovation Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives.
“I appreciate and admire JP’s dedication to fusion and the Department of Energy. His vision for fusion has been instrumental in guiding the future of the program, so much so that I asked him to extend his appointment last year to see through the delivery of the Fusion Roadmap. We are looking forward to releasing the final version in June,” said Darío Gil, DOE’s Under Secretary for Science. “I want to thank JP for his leadership over the last three years.”
“I am deeply indebted to all our stakeholders in the fusion community for their support, engagement, and talent realizing the first comprehensive Fusion S&T Roadmap charting the path to commercial fusion. Serving our nation was one of the most blessed and fulfilling times in my career,” said Dr. Allain. “I am grateful to Secretary Wright for his leadership and support of fusion energy and Under Secretary Gil for his support and vision of the Roadmap. Finally, I want to thank our staff in the Office of the Under Secretary for Science, the Office of Science and FES for their service and dedication that makes our nation so great.”
Dr. Allain was appointed in July 2023 as the FES Associate Director through an intergovernmental personnel act (IPA) agreement with Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Allain will return to Penn State where he is Professor and Department Head of the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering and holds the Lloyd and Dorothy Huck Chair in Plasma Medicine.
The Office of the Under Secretary for Science will continue to lead the Office of Fusion.