With the satisfaction reflected on her face in this photo, Irene Álvarez Castro received the highest grade for her thesis defence, marking the first doctoral thesis resulting from the collaboration between CIEMAT and the University of Granada (UGR) for the development of IFMIF-DONES.

The title of her thesis is “Study and characterization of the neutron dose received by HFTM samples at the IFMIF-DONES facility.”

With this work, she completed her PhD at the University of Granada and continues her career at the scientific facility in Escúzar (Granada).

The thesis presents a detailed neutron evaluation of realistic specimen configurations within IFMIF-DONES and a comprehensive comparison with DEMO conditions. Key aspects such as primary displacement damage, gas production, nuclear heating, and transmutation are assessed. In addition, an analysis of the diagnostic systems planned for installation has been carried out.

The thesis committee was composed of Professor Antonio Lallena (UGR) as secretary, researcher Iole Palermo (CIEMAT) as president, and Michael Rieth (KIT) as member. They highlighted the scientific value of the results, noting that no prior studies had examined the neutron dose in IFMIF-DONES material samples with such depth and detail.

From IFMIF-DONES, we extend our warmest congratulations to Irene Álvarez for the successful defence of her thesis and thank her for her continuous commitment to fusion energy research, as well as her active involvement in promoting women in science. Special congratulations also come from the Women in DONES (WiD) collective, of which she has been a member since its foundation.