In memory of Prof. Francesco Romanelli
On March 20th 2026, Professor Francesco Romanelli passed away. President of the DTT Consortium and a towering figure in Italian and European fusion research for more than three decades, his loss is felt deeply by all of us.
With great sorrow and gratitude, the DTT Consortium shares the commemorative article written by Dr. Gianfranco Federici and Dr. Lorne Horton, published in Nuclear Fusion Journal which Prof. Romanelli led as Editor in Chief with rigour, fairness, and vision until the very end.
These pages offer a portrait of a scientist and a man who is difficult to capture in few words: the clarity of a theoretician, the practicality of an engineer, the quiet example of a true leader. And, in his final year, one last lesson — of resilience, of focus, of refusing to give up.
DTT exists, in part, because of him. His example will continue to inspire us.
Gianfranco Federici, Lorne Horton — Nucl. Fusion 66 (2026) 050201 Published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence
Professor Francesco Romanelli, Editor in Chief of the Nuclear Fusion Journal, died on 20 March 2026, at the age of 69.
Building on a distinguished career as theorist specialising in transport and stability, Francesco Romanelli was a towering figure in the development of the Italian and the European fusion programmes for more than three decades. His ability to understand the trade-offs between physics and engineering, the optimal and the practical, and the national and the international, and to face those trade-offs with an unswerving intellectual honesty, was practically unique. Francesco Romanelli will be remembered as a major contributor to the pan-European fusion programme, as a demanding leader who built trust in his staff and students, and as a visionary who looked at the future of fusion with the background knowledge of a theoretician but with the practicality of an engineer. He was used to lead by example. His commitment and work ethic left a lasting impact. His intellectual honesty, perseverance, and dedication inspired everyone who had the privilege to work with him. Francesco embodied integrity, brilliance, and a sharp, understated sense of humor. He had no tolerance for carelessness or complacency. Many coworkers and students remember him for instilling critical thinking, rigor, and intellectual discipline—essential qualities for advanced scientific research. He consistently paired these expectations with humility, often reminding us that ‘self-referentiality is useless’ and that one must avoid ‘taking things lightly.’ Francesco strongly believed in the potential of younger generations and always look for opportunities to strengthen the education and training of students.
Francesco received his doctorate in physics in 1980 from the Università di Firenze. Thereafter, he took important leadership roles at ENEA where he was responsible for the research activities conducted on the FTU tokamak. From 2006 until 2014, Francesco became a central figure in the European fusion ecosystem, when he took up a leading role at JET, overseeing experiments with direct impact on ITER’s design and operation. As EFDA Leader, Francesco led the effort to elaborate the Roadmap to the Realisation of Fusion Energy. This document, which describes the research and development activities necessary for the realisation of a fusion demonstration reactor, is the original raison d’etre of EUROfusion.
From 2015 until 2019, Francesco developed and coordinated a masters-level programme at the Università di Roma ‘Tor Vergata’ on Fusion Energy—Science and Engineering. This reflected his belief that the fusion programme must make a transition from experimental to industrial. It is typical that he not only believed but actually acted to make this happen by training the next generation of fusion engineers. Since 2021, Francesco has been the president of the consortium responsible for the implementation of the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) device. In that role, he has developed a project structure and team that is well on the way to realising a device that is a key piece in the Roadmap.
In addition to the contributions above, Francesco was a dedicated servant to the fusion community, including the role of Editor in Chief of the Nuclear Fusion journal where he was highly valued by the journal team and his Editorial Board and will be remembered with great respect and affection. While scientific rigour was always his priority, he was concerned about bias creeping in, and he was equally mindful of supporting authors from emerging countries. In addition, he wanted to see more contribution in the fields of design and fusion technology.
Outside of fusion, Francesco was a well-rounded intellectual with a vast cultural knowledge in history, literature, and philosophy and taste for good and simple things in life.
His final lesson was one of resilience and purpose. During the last year, he confronted the illness without hesitation or discouragement. He fought with determination, refusing to give up or lose hope, and remained focused and engaged until the end. His passing leaves a profound void, especially for his loved ones, his wife Paola, his son Giovanni, and his family. We will all feel his absence. Yet we honour him best by upholding what he taught us: to believe in our work, pursue excellence, persevere through difficulties, and never give up. This is the legacy he leaves us, and it is now our responsibility to carry it forward.
We have lost an extraordinary person whose dedication and passion for research endured to the very end. His example will continue to inspire us.
