David Richardson
Biography
David Richardson is a pioneering figure in photonics. Best known for his work on optical fibers and their applications, he has played a leading role in improving the data-carrying capacity of optical communication networks and has also extended the performance limits of fiber lasers, contributing to their commercial success and making them strong competitors to conventional lasers. Richardson co-founded SPI Lasers in 2000, which successfully commercialized high-power fiber laser systems before being acquired by Trumpf GmbH in 2008. In 2017, Richardson co-founded Lumenisity, focusing on revolutionary hollow-core fibers (HCFs) that enable 50% faster signal transmission speeds than traditional solid-core fibers. Lumenisity quickly became a world leader in HCF development, leading to its acquisition by Microsoft in 2022.
An IEEE Fellow, Richardson is a Partner Researcher, Microsoft, Romsey, United Kingdom and is the 2025 recipient of the IEEE Photonics Award for "contributions to fiber lasers, fiber telecommunications, and hollow-core optical fibers."
