Laser–Plasma Interactions Group Leader, David Turnbull, was selected to receive the 2023 Edouard Fabre Prize for his pioneering contributions to inertial confinement fusion (ICF) through innovative laser–plasma instability studies. Dr. Turnbull has a passion for ICF that has guided his research and driven him to make significant contributions to the understanding of laser–plasma instabilities. Experiments looking at cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) that he conducted both as a postdoctoral scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and later at LLE helped build the confidence to use CBET modeling quantitatively to enable indirect-drive fusion. Through his scientific leadership, he has developed into a significant national player in both the indirect-drive and direct-drive ICF Programs. His more than 75 articles feature 18 first-authored publications—including one in Nature Physics and eight in Physical Review Letters—along with second-authored papers in Nature Physics and Nature Photonics. David received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2013. The Edouard Fabre Prize was named in honor of one of the founders of ICF and is awarded to active researchers within 15 years of their doctoral degree.
