Professor Heidbrink is internationally recognized for his research on energetic particles in magnetic fusion experiments.
The award from American Physical Society recognizes outstanding contributions to the field
Professor William Heidbrink was awarded the prestigious 2025 American Physical Society Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics. Sponsored by General Atomics, the annual prize recognizes outstanding contributions to the field and includes a $10,000 award. A faculty member in the UC Irvine Department of Physics & Astronomy since 1988, Professor Heidbrink is internationally recognized for his research on energetic particles in magnetic fusion experiments. His work advances understanding of how high-energy particles sustain fusion reactions—and how their instabilities can be mitigated to improve reactor performance. His research spans leading facilities worldwide, including the DIII-D tokamak in San Diego, NSTX-U at Princeton, MAST-U in the UK, and the Large Helical Device in Japan. Professor Heidbrink is a fellow of the American Physical Society and has received multiple awards for both research and teaching, including the APS Excellence in Plasma Physics Research Award and UC Irvine’s Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching. His work continues to bring the world closer to the reality of fusion energy as a clean, virtually limitless power source.