# Edward Hinson

> Edward Hinson is the co-founder and CEO of Zephyr Fusion, a San Diego-area company developing megawatt-class fusion power for orbit. A Middlebury mathematics and physics graduate and 2006–2007 Fulbright recipient, he earned a PhD at UW–Madison and conducted research at UW–Madison, DIII-D and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He and co-founder Galen Burke have collaborated since graduate school in 2010; Zephyr joined Y Combinator’s Fall 2025 batch.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Zephyr Fusion
- **Organizations:** Zephyr Fusion, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree; double major in mathematics and physics, Middlebury College, PhD in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- **Known for:** Received a 2006–2007 Fulbright U.S. Student Award., Earned a PhD at UW–Madison., Led the author list of a 2020 Nuclear Fusion paper on enhanced helium exhaust at DIII-D.

## Career timeline

- **2006** — Graduated from Middlebury College with a double major in mathematics and physics.
- **2006–2007** — Fulbright-supported research near Munich at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics on plasma-induced erosion of potential ITER shielding materials.
- **2007–2015** — Graduate research at UW–Madison’s Pegasus Toroidal Experiment; dates listed on his research profile.
- **2010** — Began friendship and collaboration with Galen Burke while operating a spherical tokamak at UW–Madison.
- **2017** — Installed pressure gauges in the lower pump ducts at DIII-D, recorded in a DOE research report.
- **2020** — Lead author of a Nuclear Fusion paper on enhanced helium exhaust at DIII-D, highlighted by DOE.
- **2025** — Co-founded Zephyr Fusion with Galen Burke; company joined Y Combinator Fall 2025.

## Achievements

- Received a 2006–2007 Fulbright U.S. Student Award.
- Earned a PhD at UW–Madison.
- Led the author list of a 2020 Nuclear Fusion paper on enhanced helium exhaust at DIII-D.
- Co-founded Zephyr Fusion, a Y Combinator Fall 2025 company.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — UW–Madison lists Hinson of Zephyr Fusion as its scheduled October 26 plasma physics seminar speaker; upcoming as of October 15.
- **2026-03** — Alumni Ventures listed Hinson alongside LeoLabs CEO Tony Frazier and managing partner Matt Caspari for a March 26 space infrastructure webinar.

## Links

- Website: https://zephyrfusion.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-hinson-078b15143/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/edward-hinson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15