• CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Pravesh (Prav) Patel

Focused Energy

Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Pravesh (Prav) Patel is the Chief Technology Officer at Focused Energy. Prior to joining the company, he spent over 20 years as a physicist at the DOE’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) – the world’s leading lab in inertial fusion research. There, Patel helped discover that high-intensity lasers can accelerate protons, and under his direction and expertise for 10 years, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved the first controlled ignition in August 2021 – a breakthrough scientific achievement for fusion and the future of energy. Dr. Patel's research has included groundbreaking work in the field of proton fast ignition. He performed the first experimental demonstration of ultrafast proton heating of solid density matter, and of ballistic proton focusing. His discoveries have been used and cited by numerous research groups worldwide. Dr. Patel received the Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award from Fusion Power Associates in 2010. He was honored for his work in relativistic laser-plasma interaction and his leadership in the development of the fast ignition concept for inertial confinement fusion (ICF). In 2012, he was the organizer and conference chair of the international meeting on fast ignition. To date, Patel has published over 275 scientific papers on proton fast ignition through high intensity lasers, and his work has been used and cited worldwide. In 2013, was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Raised in London, Patel headed to Oxford when he was 18. He spent seven years there, earning his bachelor's degree and Ph.D. in physics before he arrived at the Lab for a two-year postdoc appointment. In 2001, he became a staff scientist. When he's not in the office, Patel enjoys staying fit by running, going to the gym, and doing yoga. But if it's wintertime, expect to find Patel on the slopes of Lake Tahoe, Utah, or even the Alps.

Sessions With Pravesh (Prav) Patel

Tuesday, 19 March

  • 07:30am - 08:10am (CST) / 19/mar/2024 12:30 pm - 19/mar/2024 01:10 pm

    What's the Real Timeline for Commercial Fusion Technology?
    Power/Clean Power

    The launch date for commercial fusion is approaching…when? The U.S. federal government is hoping for operations in the early 2030s while some other analysts and clean energy prognosticators are less aggressive and think the technology is still 20 years away. Hear from preeminent leaders in this exciting industry as they debate the challenges still to be overcome in realizing fusion technology as a viable clean energy source of power.

Wednesday, 20 March