Ian C. Smith

Ian C. Smith received the B.Sc. degree in physics with laser technology from University of Essex, Essex, U.K., in 1985. He began his working career as a member of the Laser TeamAtomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), Aldermaston, U.K., where he has been operating the HELEN laser system and leading this team by the early 1990s. From 1993 to 1996, he was with the Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Livermore, CA, USA, where he was involved in the National Ignition Facility scientific prototype, BEAMLET. He returned to AWE and worked on the multipass cavity design for the HELEN upgrade, later used as the platform for the ORION laser. In 2000, he was assigned to Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA, to assist in relocating the BEAMLET laser to the Z pulsed power machine to form the Z-Backlighter Facility. In 2002, he became a Staff Member with Sandia, where he currently leads the operation of the Z-Backlighter Facility.