Dr Rick Spielman brings over 40 years of experience in high-voltage pulsed-power design & engineering, hypersonic flow, and fusion research. He was the Chief Scientist at Sandia National Laboratories where he led the successful design and development of the Z Machine – the most powerful pulsed-power accelerator in the world. Dr Spielman was previously at Idaho State University as a Professor of Physics and Director of the Idaho Accelerator Center. He is currently a Professor of Physics in the Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester and in 2023 was awarded the Erwin Marx award for contributions to pulsed-power technology.