Michael Tendler

Michael Tendler (Russian: Михаил Борисович Тендлер; born 1947) is a Russian-Swedish Physicist, currently (Emeritus) Professor of Fusion Plasma Physics at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (KTH) and Senior Science Expert and member of the External Management Advisory Board of the ITER Organization.

He was educated at Leningrad State University and graduated in Theoretical Physics in 1971 under the supervision of Academician Vladimir Perel [ru]. He left the Soviet Union in 1975 and received his doctorate from Uppsala University in 1978 under the supervision of Erik T. Karlsson.

Tendler moved to the Alfven Laboratory of the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) as an Associated Professor in 1981 and gradually shifted his interest towards Fusion research. From 1992 until 2002 he was an invited professor at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Québec, Canada. He became Full Professor at KTH in 2001. He is the former President of International Congress on Plasma Physics. In 2011 he became the Senior science expert at ITER. Tendler serves on the Advisory Committees of National Institute of Fusion Research in Toki (Japan), the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University.

In the 70s Tendler focused on kinetic and statistical properties of gases and plasmas. Over time his research shifted towards thermonuclear fusion and has contributed to crucial issues like magnetic confinement and operation scenarios. In particular he has been instrumental in the theoretical understanding of Plasma rotation and L-H confinement mode transitions. In latter years his research interests broadened into applications of Plasma physics, such as waste treatment.

Tendler was awarded the 1999 Ernst Mach Medal in Physics by the Czech Academy of Sciences. He was awarded honorary doctorates (Dr.h.c.) from the University of Gent, Belgium, the Russian Academy of Sciences and St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University. He is a (foreign) member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.