Nuclear scientist awarded prestigious Schwarzman scholarship to study in China

Lucio Milanese becomes Imperial's fourth Schwarzman Scholar. Picture credit: Ian MacLellan

An Imperial physics graduate has been awarded a prestigious Schwarzman scholarship to study in China next year.

"Becoming a Schwarzman Scholar is an ideal first step to get a deeper knowledge of China and start building bridges" Lucio Milanese Schwarzman Scholar 2022

Lucio Milanese (Physics, 2016) becomes Imperial's fourth Schwarzman Scholar since the programme started. 

Lucio, who is currently pursuing a PhD in Nuclear Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will pursue a Master’s degree in Global Affairs with a core curriculum focused on three pillars: leadership, China, and a concentration in business, policy or international relations."

Lucio said: "Participating in the program will further my knowledge in business and policy, which I believe is important for scientists to make real-world impact in an area like addressing climate change.

"I'm convinced that China will play a pivotal role in the emerging global fusion energy industry - and more broadly in developing the technologies and policies to tackle climate change in the 21st century.

"I believe we should strive for meaningful collaboration in these areas between China and the rest of the world, and I think becoming a Schwarzman Scholar is an ideal first step to get a deeper knowledge of China and start building bridges."

Future leaders

Lucio, who was also a recipient of the President's Undergraduate Scholarship while at Imperial, added: "The program is all-around of outstanding quality. I'm a strong believer in leadership training and development to maximise the impact of technical leaders in the real world, whether it's in academia, industry or policy-making.

"I'm very much looking forward to the leadership development component of the program, which I think will help hit me the ground running with the next steps in my career."

While at MIT, Lucio helped create the first comprehensive leadership-development program for graduate students. 

Reducing CO2 emissions

After graduating from Imperial, Lucio started a PhD in the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department at MIT.

Lucio said: "I'm working on a variety of topics related to the development of nuclear fusion as a safe, clean and inexhaustible source of energy.

"I'm doing some theoretical work on the turbulence of plasmas and fluids, which is very important to optimise a fusion machine.

"My choice of this field is rooted at Imperial, from an initial conversation with admissions tutor Dr. Michael Coppins. Studying nuclear science is a great opportunity for me to do something I love, physics, while at the same time contributing to solving one of mankind's critical long-term problems; climate change due to CO2 emissions." 

Addressing the most pressing global challenges 

Stephen A. Schwarzman, Founding Trustee of Schwarzman Scholars, said: "This is truly an inspirational and dynamic group of young people. At a moment when the mission of Schwarzman Scholars is even more important than we could have predicted, I am confident these individuals will become people of consequence in their generation: leading intelligently, acting with integrity, and addressing the most pressing global challenges of the 21st century.”

Xue Lan, Dean of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, said: "I am excited to see what this class brings to both the Schwarzman College and greater Tsinghua University communities. Each Scholar was selected for their demonstrated leadership, excellence, and desire to grow. I look forward to meeting them in the fall.”

In this class, 154 remarkable Schwarzman Scholars were chosen from more than 3,600 applicants, and include students from 39 countries and 99 universities.