I’m Bram Spijkers and I am a master student at the fusion group. I didn’t do the bachelor of Applied Physics at an academic university, instead I got my bachelor degree at a professional university (HBO). After the bridging-program I could start my masters program which I decided to do at the fusion group.

One of the reasons for this was; that fusion is explainable to non-scientific people. The energy problem is globally known and currently a hot topic, the prospect of fusion energy to contribute to a solution will appeal to the masses. Another reason for me to join the Fusion group was the master thesis they offered.  I currently work on the Fusor which is a reasonably compact device that is capable of producing fusion reactions. Together with employees and another student I physically build the device and saw it turn on for the first time. The project is both theoretically and experimentally. I made a theoretical model for the processes inside the Fusor and now I am testing it with measurements.

The fusion group has many projects of this kind on which students can work both theoretically and experimentally. This in combination with the clear goal of fusion energy is what made it so appealing to me.