Michel Laberge
{{short description|Canadian physicist and entrepreneur}}
{{Distinguish|Michael LaBerge}}{{Infobox person
| name = Michel Georges Laberge
| image = General Fusion Michel Laberge (33250324636).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Michel Laberge at General Fusion in front of a reactor for magnetized target fusion
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Quebec, Canada{{cite book|last1=Hamilton|first1=Tyler|title=Mad like Tesla underdog inventors and their relentless pursuit of clean energy|date=2011|publisher=ECW Press|location=Toronto|isbn=9781770900738}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Canadian
| other_names =
| occupation = CSO of General Fusion, Inc.
| education = {{ubl
| Laval University, BS, 1983
| Laval University, MS, 1985
| University of British Columbia, Ph.D in Physics, 1990
| École Polytechnique, Paris, Post Doc, 1991
| National Research Council, Ottawa, Post Doc, 1992}}
| years_active =
| known_for = Founder of General Fusion, Inc.
| notable_works =
}}
Michel Laberge is a Canadian physicist and entrepreneur.{{Cite web|url=https://www.psfc.mit.edu/events/2015/acoustically-driven-magnetized-target-fusion-at-general-fusion|title=Acoustically-Driven Magnetized Target Fusion at General Fusion|date=December 18, 2015|website=MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center|publisher=MIT|access-date=January 16, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.biv.com/article/2014/3/michel-laberge-fusion-vision/|title=Michel Laberge: Fusion vision|work=Business In Vancouver|access-date=2017-04-24|language=en}} He is the founder and CSO of General Fusion, and was previously a senior physicist and principal engineer at Creo Products for nine years.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160428-the-secretive-billionaire-backed-plans-to-harness-fusion|title=The secretive, billionaire-backed plans to harness fusion|last=Frochtzwajg|first=Jonathan|access-date=2017-04-24}}
Education
Dr. Laberge received a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in physics from Laval University. In 1990, he earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of British Columbia, focusing on laser fusion.{{Cite thesis|url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0084992|title=Electron acceleration in a plasma wave above a laser irradiated grating|last=Laberge|first=Michel|date=1990|website=UBC Theses and Dissertations|doi=10.14288/1.0084992 |access-date=April 24, 2017}} Following his Ph.D, Laberge undertook two consecutive postdoctoral research positions, first in 1991 at the École Polytechnique in Paris then at the National Research Council in Ottawa (1992).
Business career
During his time at Creo Products, Dr. Laberge developed digital laser technologies for industrial laser printers. In the 1990s, his role as senior physicist and principal engineer involved aligning laser diodes to mitigate the effects of microbanding - a printing artifact that results in unwanted parallel stripes. Later, Laberge supervised a team of five engineers to develop a digital micromirror device for the booming telecom industry. The team produced a device in six months that outperformed the market competition, but the project was terminated due to lack of investment as a result of the telecoms crash.
After his work at Creo, Dr. Laberge founded General Fusion in an effort to demonstrate the feasibility of magnetized target fusion as a commercial energy source. Initially, Dr. Laberge worked alone in a converted gas-station garage in British Columbia to develop a proof of concept prototype reactor. The company has since secured funding and has expanded to larger facilities, where 65 people were employed as of 2017.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160428-the-secretive-billionaire-backed-plans-to-harness-fusion|title=The secretive, billionaire-backed plans to harness fusion|last=Frochtzwajg|first=Jonathan|access-date=2017-01-17}}
Patents
Dr. Laberge holds several patents in the United States and Canada, primarily related to optics and fusion applications.
- {{patent|US|5305091|Optical coordinate measuring system for large objects}}
- {{patent|US|5818498|Method of multi-channel thermal recording}}
- {{patent|US|5920394|Optical coordinate measuring machine}}
- {{patent|US|6252622|Fault tolerant laser diode array}}
- {{patent|US|6660997|Absolute position Moiré type encoder for use in a control system}}
- {{patent|US|6763160|Optical cross connect switch having improved alignment control system}}
- {{patent|US|6832552|Method of automated setting of imaging and processing parameters}}
- {{patent|US|6941035|Optical cross-connect switch}}
- {{patent|US|9403191|Pressure wave generator with a sabot launched piston}}
- {{patent|US|9463478|Jet control devices and methods}}
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Université Laval alumni
Category:University of British Columbia alumni
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