We’re welcoming a scale-up pioneer who’s commercialized the hardest of hard tech – and she wants to do it again, on an even bigger project.

By Dan Bauer, Head of Talent

 

We’re the only company executing a commercial path to fusion based on the only approach that’s been scientifically validated. So we’re not merely proving the physics of our projects. We’re scaling the system to pump electrons on the grid in the mid-2030s.

As a result, we’ve been hiring the brightest minds in the world of complex manufacturing and commercialization of emerging technology. Our newest hire is Dr. Silvia De Dea, who’s taking a newly created leadership role at Xcimer. 

As Head of Materials and Process Engineering, Dr. De Dea will build and lead a team focused on understanding, developing, and applying materials to create new products or enhance existing ones. She reports to Giovanni Greco, Senior Vice President of Engineering. 

De Dea played a crucial role at Cymer/ASML, one of the most pivotal semiconductor companies globally, in developing the core technology for next-generation EUV lithography systems, now used to manufacture the most advanced microchips. These systems, recognized as the most complex machines humans have ever built, are instrumental in advancing fields such as machine learning, autonomous driving, and the Internet of Things.

She brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise and experience scaling up operations, spanning laser-induced plasmas, vacuum chamber debris management, materials for extreme environments, fluid dynamics, mass spectrometry, and supercritical fluids.

As she put it: “Humanity can’t continue to improve its quality of life without a new source of robust, zero-emission energy. Xcimer’s approach is the best and most derisked path I’ve seen—and the most significant challenge and honor of my career so far.

“After my work on EUV lithography systems as applied to advanced microchips, I thought about what I could do that would have an even greater positive impact on Humanity. There’s no doubt in my mind that working on fusion would be the very best use of my time and intellect – and once I made that decision, working for Xcimer became the obvious choice.”

Silvia’s reputation precedes her. We first reached out to Silvia in March of 2025 when she was introduced to Xcimer by Mike Campbell, former Associate Director for Lasers at LLNL and key originator for the National Ignition Facility and Director of the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics. Mike also serves as Chairman of Xcimer’s newly formed 

Science and Technology Advisory Board, which reviews and advises the company’s technical progress, technology, and roadmap for deployment of inertial fusion power plants. (Mike serves with 11 other experts with domain expertise in fields including fusion, engineering, pulsed power, laser physics, nuclear technologies and adjacent fields.)

After a round of interviews, we knew Silvia belonged on the team.

We’re looking forward to her relocation to our Denver headquarters, where nearly 100 other top-tier employees are scaling up the last energy source humanity will ever need. 

Want to work with Silvia and other bright minds?

Email Dan Bauer, at dbauer@xcimer.net.