Ian Hutchinson

Ian Hutchinson is a physicist and professor of nuclear science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He and his research group are international leaders in exploring the generation and confinement (using magnetic fields) of plasmas hotter than the sun’s center. This research, carried out on a national experimental facility designed, built, and operated by Hutchinson’s team, is aimed at producing practical energy for society from controlled nuclear fusion reactions, the power source of the stars. In addition to authoring 200 research articles about plasma physics, Hutchinson has written and spoken widely on the relationship between science and Christianity. His recent book, “Monopolizing Knowledge” (2011), explores how the error of scientism arose, how it undermines reason as well as religion, and how it feeds today’s culture wars and an excessive reliance on technology.