Ambitious Kiwi start-up OpenStar Technologies aims to revolutionise the way we power our planet

Nancy Zhou

Talented mechatronics engineer Nancy Zhou was handpicked to help OpenStar win the global race to achieve commercial nuclear fusion.

Like so many entrepreneurial enthusiasts, Nancy Zhou’s interest in experimentation and commercialisation was apparent at an early age – and in Nancy’s case, very early. She launched her first venture at primary school, making and selling fudge.

It’s light years away from her current role: instrumentation engineer at OpenStar Technologies, one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most ambitious start-ups. Nancy is one of a driven and talented team of experts working to develop a nuclear fusion reactor, with the objective of creating a safe, renewable, carbon-free source of energy.

The global climate crisis is a popular problem to solve. Achieving commercial nuclear fusion promises safe, clean, sustainable power generation, eliminating the need for fossil fuels. It’s potentially the ultimate panacea – but the challenge is a daunting one. First, achieving fusion is incredibly difficult; scientists around the world have been researching the process for decades. Nuclear fusion combines two or more atomic nuclei, such as the isotopes of hydrogen, to make one larger atom, releasing a colossal amount of energy as heat during the process. But these atoms will only fuse under extreme conditions. The next step – no less complicated – is to take this process from highly specialised lab experiment to sustainable power production.

Several nuclear fusion projects are already underway in the US, the UK and Europe, and in 2021 OpenStar Technologies, founded by pioneering New Zealand physicist Dr Ratu Mataira, joined the race. What sets OpenStar’s venture apart is the unique design of their reactor. The conventional reactor design is notoriously large and expensive. OpenStar, however, is building a new kind of reactor modelled off the magnetosphere of planets such as Earth and Jupiter. The levitated dipole design has smaller, cheaper magnets and a more modular design, allowing OpenStar to iterate rapidly and accelerate toward milestones.

They’re making excellent progress. To date, OpenStar has designed and built a superconducting magnet, designed and delivered a 5.2m diameter vacuum chamber and completed a series of experiments that substantiate the technology. They’re now on the verge of achieving their first plasma – the critical step to demonstrate that their reactor can be scaled to produce fusion energy. “OpenStar is the only company in the world building a levitated dipole for commercial purposes,” notes Nancy. Achieving first plasma will launch the start-up into a Series-A fundraising round; their recent seed funding round raised approximately $US12 million.

Nancy was “scouted” by OpenStar Technologies to join their team of 42 world-leading engineers and scientists. Although she had no prior experience working with superconductivity, cryogenic or vacuum conditions, her background in “fast-paced, technological R&D environments, particularly in start-ups, made me a strong fit for the team,” she explains. “Over the last year, I’ve been responsible for testing, build and delivery on a range of projects that have contributed towards significant milestones in OpenStar’s progress. I’m really impressed with the team’s efficiency and dedication to our work and am super-proud to be a part of that.”

Nancy confesses that she undertook a conjoint degree (graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Engineering at Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland) due to indecision about career paths. However, her interest in entrepreneurship was never in question – and the entrepreneurial programmes delivered by the Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) held obvious appeal. She singles out the Solve It programme as a particularly valuable experience. “My key takeaway was that everyone has a unique perspective on challenges, and the best way to progress is to carefully consider these perspectives and not be afraid to challenge the status quo – especially when tackling a complex problem.”

She therefore strongly encourages students to be as inquisitive as possible. “When I first started at OpenStar, I was intimidated and quite quiet. I wish I pushed past that and asked a lot more questions – I may have learned and progressed faster,” she observes. “You have nothing to lose by asking questions, but everything to gain. We have a great saying at OpenStar: ‘You aren’t expected to know everything, but you are expected to learn!’”

For Nancy, the rewards of her role far outweigh the more arduous aspects. “Being surrounded by an ambitious, high-achieving team, the energy is always infectiously high! Practically, this means I can also draw on these great minds for advice, direction and discussions, which is invaluable,” she says. And let’s not overlook that pretty high level of job satisfaction. “I have the ability to say that I’m working towards saving the world!”