Oxford, MA--IPG Photonics chairman and CEO Valentin Gapontsev received the 2010 Russian Federation National Award in Science and Technology for his innovative designs for and high-quality production of fiber lasers and fiber-optic backbone and local connection systems such as fiber-optic amplifiers.
Born on February 23, 1939 in Moscow, Gapontsev holds a Ph.D. in Physical and Mathematical Sciences. He served as department chair at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology as well as the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (USA). He is also the director general of the IRE-Polus research and technology alliance, and the chair of the board of directors and managing director of IPG Photonics.
Gapontsev is a leading specialist in the field of laser physics and technology, fiber-optic and optoelectronic technologies, and the founder of IPG Photonics, which develops and produces high-performance fiber lasers in Russia, Germany, and the United States. His work, which started about twenty years ago in Russia at IRE Polus research and technology association, is based on his idea of creating optical quantum generators on a fundamentally new technological platform. His merits include his socio-educational work at laser technology science and education centers, where he has trained young Russian scientists and specialists in the field of laser physics.
SOURCE: IPG Photonics; http://eng.news.kremlin.ru/ref_notes/58