Dr Gapontsev had over forty years of experience in the field of non-radiative energy transfer in rare earth ions and solid state materials. With this scientific background, he predicted an effective high power fiber laser when fiber lasers had output powers of several watts. In his 1990 paper discussing the theoretical feasibility of a high power fiber laser with kilowatt scale average output power, he set in motion his quest and mission to develop fiber lasers into a more reliable and cost-effective lasers. With IPG’s commercial fiber lasers now at tens of kilowatts, Dr Gapontsev had largely realized his 1990 prediction. He is widely credited with having created the fiber laser industry by manufacturing reliable, cost-effective and higher power solid-state lasers that can be used in a growing number of applications. Even today, his vision continues to guide innovation and development for new laser architectures, mid-IR, UV and ultrafast lasers grounded on his deep knowledge and research into laser glasses.

Valentin Gapontsev was born in Moscow, near the beginning of World War II, the son of an artillery captain. In 1946, he moved with his family to Lviv in western Ukraine, being educated at the Lviv Polytechnic Institute and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and receiving a PhD. From 1967 until the early 1990s, he worked at the Soviet Academy of Science, where he held the positions of senior scientist in laser material physics and head of laboratory.

He founded IPG in 1990 using his scientific expertise in laser materials and optical science. Dr Gapontsev overcame many difficulties, mainly starting a high-technology company as an academic researcher with no business experience and with no capital. He shortly proved himself by winning a large supply contract from a large European telecom equipment manufacturer and subsequently opened technology and manufacturing facilities in Germany in 1994, followed by the US and Italy. While other companies outsourced development and production of components, he went in the opposite direction championing IPG’s vertically-integrated business model that leads to faster development time with improved results, higher margins and better protection of intellectual property.

IPG Photonics now employs over 6,000, has manufacturing facilities in the US, Europe and Asia, with sales offices world-wide. In 2020, Forbes magazine ranked Dr Gapontsev among the 400 richest persons in America.

He is widely credited with having created the fiber laser industry by manufacturing reliable, cost-effective and higher power solid-state lasers that can be used in a growing number of applications. Dr Gapontsev is the named inventor on over 100 patents and author of over 200 scientific papers.