Stephanie Diem promoted to Associate Professor

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics is proud to announce that Stephanie Diem has been promoted to Associate Professor. 

This promotion recognizes Diem’s dedication to teaching and service and her outstanding research achievements in experimental plasma physics, magnetically confined plasmas, and microwave heating and current drive. 

“Tenure recognizes exceptional achievement by a faculty member through permanent institutional commitment to their scholarly pursuits,” says Department Chair Kathryn Huff. “Through her pioneering work in fusion energy and her growing influence on the national stage, Prof. Diem has elevated the visibility of our department while helping shape the research foundations of our nation’s clean energy future.”

Diem is the Principal Investigator of the Pegasus-III Experiment studying innovative plasma startup techniques to reduce the cost and complexity of future fusion power plants. She is also an alumna of the department, where she earned her B.S. in Nuclear Engineering.

Since joining the department, Diem has received numerous honors recognizing her expertise and leadership in the field. She was selected by the Fusion Power Associates as the 2023 recipient of the David J. Rose Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award. She was also selected by the National Academy of Sciences to be a Kavli Fellow in 2025 and served in the 2021 and 2024 cohorts of the National Academies New Voices in Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

She also advocates at the federal level. In 2024, she was named the first U.S. Science Envoy for fusion energy by the U.S. Department of State. She was also a featured panelist at the White House Summit on “Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy” in 2022 and a witness at the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Energy Subcommittee Hearing in 2025.