Joint Seminar Features Plasma Physicist Roald Sagdeev
A joint MIPSE and CLASP Seminar features Dr. Roald Sagdeev, distinguished plasma physicist, in March.
A joint seminar hosted by the Michigan Institute for Plasma Science and Engineering (MIPSE) and the U-M Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLASP) will feature plasma physicist Dr. Roald Sagdeev on Wednesday, March 26, in the Leinweber Innovation Laboratory at the University of Michigan.
“Roald Sagdeev is a living legend in the field,” said Dr. Lulu Zhao, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Department of Climate and Space. “His career spans decades of groundbreaking contributions to plasma physics and space exploration. His influential research has shaped our understanding of plasma physics and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD).”
Dr. Roald Sagdeev is a distinguished plasma physicist whose pioneering work in controlled fusion and space research has left a lasting impact on the field. Born in the Soviet Union, he became one of the youngest full academicians of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences at the age of 35. Early in his career, he worked at the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy as a key member of the controlled fusion research team. From 1973 to 1988, Dr. Sagdeev worked as the director of the Soviet Space Research Institute. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in groundbreaking space missions, including the Venera probes to Venus, Vega mission to Halley’s Comet, Phobos missions to Mars’ moons, and the Soyuz-Apollo Test Project, the first U.S.-Soviet space collaboration. His leadership helped advance international space cooperation during the Cold War.
Dr. Sagdeev has been an influential voice in space policy and arms control. In 1990, he moved to the United States and became a professor at the University of Maryland, where he continued his research in plasma physics, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), and international scientific collaboration. Dr. Sagdeev’s groundbreaking work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of plasma dynamics and space exploration, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential figures in modern space science.
On March 26, he will give a seminar entitled “Plasma XXI.” He described the topic of the seminar in his own words:
“I believe that the whole field of plasma science and its applications has entered a new era. What we are seeing is not only progress in individual separate areas of plasma physics and technology, whether it is fusion, astro/space, materials or even biomedical applications; but also growing interconnectivity among these areas.”
The joint seminar will be held in the Leinweber Innovation Laboratory on the first floor of the Climate and Space Research Building on the University of Michigan’s North Campus. It will take place at 3:00pm, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. The lecture will also be available on Zoom, recorded by MIPSE. For more information, visit: https://mipse.umich.edu/seminars_2425.php