LLNL optics expert Wren Carr named SPIE Fellow

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Wren Carr was recently selected as a Fellow of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. He is the science and technology group leader for National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser-induced damage and mitigation science.

“I feel honored to be recognized by SPIE for my leadership, mentorship and technical contributions to the field of laser-induced damage and my fusion-enabling work on NIF,” he said. “Through SPIE, I’ve found a rich community of laser-induced damage scientists. At this stage in my career, it is so rewarding to see my former student interns running NIF experiments, leading research projects and making impactful contributions.”

Carr has been at LLNL for over 25 years, starting as a graduate student in the University of California, Davis applied physics program. Early in his career, he published several seminal papers on laser-induced damage, including 2003 and 2004 Physical Review Letters publications that have each been cited more than 300 times.

As his career progressed into technical leadership, he continued his prolific research and development. His over 150 publications have yielded more than 3,500 citations.

Carr has also regularly mentored students. Seven of his student interns and two postdocs have become full-time staff at LLNL. He served as co-chair of the SPIE Laser-Induced Damage Symposium from 2018 to 2025.

In 2025, Carr wrote or co-wrote several chapters on identifying, preventing, repairing and measuring laser-induced damage mechanisms for the book, Optic Technologies Enabling Fusion Ignition, published in 2025 by John Wiley & Sons. It tells the comprehensive story of how LLNL optics and laser-matter interaction experts were able to push NIF optics beyond what many thought possible — helping to enable repeated fusion ignition at NIF. Carr, Optics & Materials Science & Technology program director Tayyab Suratwala and now-retired Christopher Stolz were the editors.

In his role as co-leader of the OMST science and technology group with Eyal Feigenbaum, he has led innovative projects to mitigate or prevent laser-induced damage to NIF’s valuable optics, like fused silica debris shields and shadow cone blockers. Now, Carr is carrying those projects and others forward to understand the impact of even higher laser energy.

“With NIF optics and laser-induced damage, there is no resting on your laurels,” he said. “We fix a problem and that allows us to turn up the laser energy and we discover new problems. But in all seriousness, that’s what keeps me going. We’re constantly figuring out how to do something for the first time that allows NIF to do something for the first time that is helping to change the world.”

SPIE Fellows represent the highest level of professional recognition in optics and photonics. This distinction honors individuals whose exceptional technical achievements and leadership have made a significant impact on the field and the broader scientific community. Carr is one of 40 new fellows elected in 2026.