Andrei Khodak, a principal engineering analyst at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), has been awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Nuclear Society (ANS) for his exemplary achievements in fusion science and engineering. Established in 1977, the Outstanding Achievement Award is a division-administered award by the ANS Fusion Energy Division. He is the second PPPL engineer to win this award - PPPL's Michael Williams received the award in 2000.
Khodak received the Outstanding Achievement Award for his work on virtual prototyping of liquid metal plasma-facing components and tritium-breeding blankets to address challenges in heat exhaust, breeding and material erosion in fusion power plants. Khodak said that the Laboratory was very supportive of him receiving this award with both a nomination by his supervisor, Rajesh Maingi who is the head of the Tokamak Experimental Science Department, and also a recommendation from Laboratory Director Steve Cowley.
"I am very honored to receive this award, which serves as encouragement to continue innovative research in the liquid metal area," said Khodak, who has been working at PPPL for more than 16 years.
During that time, Khodak has worked on several technologies that allow fusion systems to handle the extreme heat of plasma, the fourth state of matter. Fusion plasmas reach temperatures so high that the inner walls can melt. As he explained, the goal is to "create a wall that can be efficiently renewed every time," and liquid metals offer a powerful solution.
In 2025, Khodak won PPPL's Distinguished Engineering Fellow for his liquid metals work, which has focused on liquid lithium: a metal that remains stable at high temperatures and can flow like a protective lining along the reactor's inner surfaces. This liquid layer acts as a self-renewing wall, constantly regenerating itself so it can withstand heat that could damage solid materials. Khodak also works on liquid metal tritium-breeding blankets - large structures that are used to collect energy from fusion reactions and also help generate tritium, a key fuel for fusion. Together, these technologies are essential for making future fusion power plants durable, efficient and self-sustaining. Khodak further contributed to the design and engineering of major fusion systems, such as PPPL's National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade, DIII‑D, the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor and ITER, an experimental fusion facility now under assembly in southern France. Recently, Khodak contributed to the development of a liquid metal divertor and blanket systems for Spherical Tokamak for Advanced Reactors, an emerging new concept under development at PPPL.
In his spare time, Khodak enjoys painting. He also enjoys working on his projects for the Lab, and this recognition not only excites him but motivates him to continue advancing research in his field.
