George Wilkes, Director of Applications at Turner Laser Systems, Named JMU Physics 2026 Alumnus of the Year

Fremont, CA — October 13, 2026 Turner Laser Systems is proud to announce that George Wilkes, our Director of Applications, has been named the 2026 Alumnus of the Year by the James Madison University Department of Physics.

As part of the honor, George will return to JMU’s campus on Thursday, October 15, to present the department’s Homecoming Seminar, titled “From a Mass on a Spring to Femtosecond Lasers (With a Few Nobel Prizes in Between).”

The talk starts with a problem every physics student knows well: the driven damped harmonic oscillator. George will trace how that single equation explains why glass is transparent and gold is reflective, and how it leads all the way to the femtosecond lasers used in advanced manufacturing today. Along the way, he’ll connect the theory to real-world applications like glass drilling, foil welding, surface texturing, and micromachining features smaller than heat can spread. Eight Nobel Prizes make an appearance along the way.

During his visit, George will also join JMU physics students for lunch and faculty for dinner, reconnecting with the department that helped launch his career.

At Turner Laser Systems, George leads the applications group that develops and proves out laser processes before they move into production tools. His expertise spans ultrafast micromachining, glass and metal processing, and beam delivery and optical system design. He earned his BS in Physics from James Madison University in 2015 and his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Virginia in 2020.

Please join us in congratulating George on this well-deserved recognition!