Berkeley Lab

Cameron Guy Robinson Geddes

Cameron Geddes

Cameron Geddes

Director, Accelerator Technology and Applied Physics Division
Senior Scientist
1 Cyclotron Rd MS 71-259
Berkeley CA 94720
telephone: 510-495-2923
cgrgeddes@lbl.gov

Ph.D., Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Spring 2005.
B.A., Physics (high honors), Swarthmore College, Spring 1997.

Cameron G.R. Geddes is the Director of the Accelerator Technology and Applied Physics Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He leads the division in inventing, developing, and deploying particle accelerators, lasers and photon sources to extend the frontiers of science, as well as systems for fusion and related areas of applied physics. His research focuses on study of laser driven plasma waves to create next-generation compact particle accelerators for high energy physics and and photon sources, advanced laser technologies, and high energy density science. Related research spans nuclear nonproliferation, large-scale simulations, magnetic and inertial fusion, and high energy density science. He has held past positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Polymath Research, and Swarthmore College. He is a Hertz Fellow and a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and has received from the Society the John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research, the Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award, and the Leroy Apker Undergraduate Thesis Award.

Professional experience

2021- present, Director, ATAP Division, LBNL, and senior scientist, BELLA Center, LBNL.

2019 – 2021, Senior scientist and deputy director for experiments, BELLA Center, LBNL.

2018 – 2019, Senior scientist, BELLA Center, LBNL.

8/2008 – 2018, Staff scientist, BELLA Center (formerly LOASIS Program), LBNL.

4/2005-8/2008, Research Scientist, LOASIS Program, LBNL.

6/2000 – 3/2005, Ph.D. Student Research Assistant, University of California, Berkeley.

9/1999 – 5/2000, Physicist contractor, Polymath Research.

11/1997-8/1999, Physicist, plasma group, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

6/1996-6/1997, Research Assistant, Swarthmore College.

9/1995-12/1995, Associate Scientist, LBNL.

6/1995-9/1995, Research Assistant, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory/University of Wisconsin.

6/1993-6/1995, Research Assistant, Swarthmore College.

Awards

  • 2022: Kavli Fellow
  • 2019: US Particle Accelerator School Prize, “For pioneering experiments on laser guiding, electron trapping, and high-quality beam production in laser-plasma accelerators”.
  • 2016: Fellow of the American Physical Society
    “For research demonstrating the production of high quality electron beams from laser plasma accelerators.”
  • 2010: John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research
    “For experiments and theory leading to the demonstration of high-quality electron beams from laser-plasma accelerators.”
  • 2007: Outstanding Performance Award, LBNL.
  • 2006: APS Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award
    To provide recognition to exceptional young scientists who have performed original thesis work of outstanding scientific quality and achievement in the area of plasma physics.
  • 2005: Outstanding Performance Award, LBNL.
  • 2005: Hertz Thesis Prize, Hertz Foundation
    Awarded to certain Ph.D. dissertations completed by Hertz Fellows during the preceding academic year for their overall excellence and pertinence to high-impact applications of the physical sciences.
  • 2000-2004: Hertz Graduate Fellowship, Hertz Foundation
  • 1999: National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship, U.S. Department of Defense.
  • 1997: Apker Award, American Physical Society, for best undergraduate thesis in physics.
  • 1997: William C. Elmore Prize, Swarthmore College, for distinguished academic work in physics, astrophysics, or astronomy.
  • 1995: National Undergraduate Fellowship in Plasma Physics, U.S. Dept. of Energy.

Recent Community Service

Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel, decadal plan for particle physics, 2023
Basic Research Needs Workshop on Laser Technology, co-chair 2023.
Basic Research Needs Workshop on Inertial Fusion Energy, chapter lead, 2022.
Snowmass particle physics study: Advanced Accel. co-convener 2019-2022; computation member 2013
DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee Subcommittee on Long Range Planning, 2020
APS APS Division of Plasma Physics Community Planning for Fusion Energy Sciences, 2019-2020
The Brightest Light Initiative (BLI): A Path Forward for Ultra-Intense Lasers in the U.S, 2019-2020
Basic Research Needs Workshop on Compact Accelerators for Security and Medicine, 2019

Selected publications

A.J. Gonsalves, K. Nakamura, J. Daniels, C. Benedetti, C. Pieronek, T.C.H. de Raadt, S. Steinke, J.H. Bin, S.S. Bulanov, J. van Tilborg, C.G.R. Geddes, C.B. Schroeder, Cs. Tóth, E. Esarey, K. Swanson, L. Fan-Chiang, G. Bagdasarov, N. Bobrova, V. Gasilov, G. Korn, P. Sasorov, and W.P. Leemans, “Petawatt Laser Guiding and Electron Beam Acceleration to 8 GeV in a Laser-Heated Capillary Discharge Waveguide,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 084801 (2019)

S. Steinke, J. van Tilborg, C. Benedetti, C.G.R. Geddes, C.B. Schroeder, J. Daniels, K.K. Swanson, A.J. Gonsalves, K. Nakamura, N.H. Matlis, B.H. Shaw, E. Esarey, W.P. Leemans, “Multistage coupling of independent laser-plasma accelerators,” Nature 530, pp. 190–193 (11 February 2016).

C.G.R. Geddes, S. Rykovanov, N.H. Matlis, S. Steinke, J.-L. Vay, E. Esarey, B. Ludewigt, K. Nakamura, B.J. Quiter, C.B. Schroeder, C. Toth, W.P. Leemans, “Compact quasi-monoenergetic photon sources from laser-plasma accelerators for nuclear detection and characterization,” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 350, 116 (2015).

G.R. Plateau, C.G.R. Geddes, D.B. Thorn, M. Chen, C. Benedetti, E. Esarey, A.J. Gonsalves, N.H. Matlis, K. Nakamura, C.B. Schroeder, S. Shiraishi, T. Sokollik, J. van Tilborg, Cs. Toth, S. Trotsenko, T.S. Kim, M. Battaglia, Th. Stoehlker, and W. P. Leemans, “Low-emittance electron bunches from a laser-plasma accelerator measured using single-shot X-ray spectroscopy,” PRL 109, 064802 (2012). See also this LBNL press release and a related SLAC Symmetry article.

C.G.R. Geddes, E. Cormier-Michel, E.H. Esarey, C.B. Schroeder, J-L. Vay, W.P. Leemans, and the LOASIS team, LBNL; D.L. Bruhwiler, J.R. Cary, B. Cowan, M. Durant, P. Hamill, P. Messmer, P. Mullowney, C. Nieter, K. Paul, S. Shasharina, S. Veitzer, and the VORPAL development team, Tech-X; G. Weber, O. Rubel, D. Ushizima, Prabhat, and E.W. Bethel, VACET; and J. Wu, SciDAC Scientific Data Management Center, “Laser Plasma Particle Accelerators: Large Fields for Smaller Facility Sources,” SciDAC Review 13 (2009), pp. 13-21; LBNL-2299E.

C.G.R. Geddes, Cs. Toth, J. van Tilborg, E. Esarey, C.B. Schroeder, D. Bruhwiler, C. Nieter, J. Cary, W.P. Leemans, “High-quality electron beams from a laser wakefield accelerator using plasma-channel guiding,” Nature 431 (2004), pp. 538-541; LBNL-55732. See also the physics overview by T. Katsouleas in “Electrons hang ten on laser wake,” News and Views, Nature 431 (30 September 2004), pp. 515-6.