Robert J. Goldston

Biography

Robert Goldston is a leading researcher in plasma physics and fusion energy, and was director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), 1997 – 2009. Goldston has collaborated with SGS staff on a number of research topics since 2009. He contributed a section on Fusion Energy to a chapter on Nuclear Energy prepared by Frank von Hippel for the IIASA Global Energy Assessment. Goldston and Alex Glaser published on the potential proliferation risks associated with magnetic fusion energy, and the role of safeguards in minimizing these risks. Goldston chaired an IAEA Consultative Group on this topic. Goldston and Glaser also published on proliferation risks specifically associated with Inertial Fusion Energy; their perspectives are reflected in the NAS Panel Report on Inertial Fusion Energy. Most recently Goldston has collaborated with Glaser and Boaz Barak of Microsoft Research, New England, on a “Zero-Knowledge Protocol” for warhead verification as an element of arms control. They received a “V Fund” grant from the State Department, and a larger grant from the National Nuclear Security Administration as part of a new national Center for Verification Technology led by the University of Michigan. Goldston and Glaser are constructing facilities to test this technique experimentally at PPPL.

Research Interest

Biotechnology, biochemistry