CUETS with First Light Fusion

​Organised by the Cambridge University Energy Technology Society (CUETS) in collaboration with the Cambridge University Engineering Society (CUES). Please email Max on mk2158@cam.ac.uk if you would like to join us for formal dinner after the talk.

​17:30-18:45 - Talk and Q&A, Lecture Room 4 @ Engineering Dept.

​19:00-19:30 - Drinks in Queens' College Bar

​

​Mark Thomas is Chief Executive Officer of First Light Fusion, the UK’s Inertial Fusion Energy company.

​First Light is enabling fusion through its unique amplifier technology, which supports cheaper, simpler, faster pathways to commercial fusion energy and delivers new capabilities for defence and space. This deep-tech company currently employs 80 people in Oxford.

​Mark joined First Light in 2025 after nearly a decade growing and leading Reaction Engines Limited, a multi-award-winning UK technology company known for its pioneering developments in space propulsion, hypersonic flight, and the delivery of transformational cooling technology solutions for Formula 1 motorsport and aviation.

​Before joining Reaction Engines, Mark spent 22 years in the Defence and Civil Aerospace divisions of Rolls-Royce plc, most notably in Chief Engineer roles. He worked with customers and industry partners worldwide to lead the design, development and support of new military and commercial aeroengines; Mark’s last role with Rolls-Royce was leading the company’s future civil aerospace programmes and technology demonstrators.

​Mark is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1993.