Bill received a B.S. with honors in Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1962 and earned a Ph.D. in Elementary Particle Physics in 1966 from Princeton University. He joined LLNL in 1966, working on a number of energy and defense programs. In 1983 he was named the Leader of the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Applications program, and in 1986 a Deputy ICF Program Leader. Bill was an pioneer in analysing the applications of inertial fusion.
He spent a year in Moscow, Russia in 1992-93 as a Senior Project Coordinator for the International Science and Technology Center, helping Russian weapons scientists transition to non-weapons careers. Returning to LLNL he joined the National Ignition Facility (NIF) team and rose to the position of Assistant Associate Director of LLNL for NIF Programs in 1999. He retired from LLNL in 2001 but continued to consult for LLNL and for several other fusion laboratories.
Bill played a prominent role in publishing and disseminating information about inertial fusion energy and in organizing many fusion conferences. He served as Scientific Editor of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) book, Energy from Inertial Fusion, published in 1995. He was the Technical Editor of a special issue of the American Nuclear Society journal Fusion Science and Technology, on Fast Ignition Inertial Fusion, published in 2006. He was the author of the Laser Fusion Chapter and Section Editor for the Inertial Fusion Section of a Springer-Verlag Volume on Energy Sources 2002-2004. He was the founding Organizing Chair of the series of International Conferences on Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications (IFSA). This conference has become the leading international conference in the field.
Bill contributed generously with his time for fusion organizations. He was a member of the APS, ANS, AAAS, Sigma Xi and Fusion Power Associates. He served on the Editorial Board of Fusion Science and Technology and as the Associate Editor of the IAEA journal, Nuclear Fusion. He served as chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency Advisory Group on Inertial Fusion Energy from 1991-1996. He was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Fusion Energy Division of the American Nuclear Society in 1996. He made significant technical and leadership contributions to the field of fusion energy and ICF during his career. His hard work, friendship, enthusiasm and positive attitude will be sorely missed by his many friends and colleagues around the world.
Bill's wife, Sharon, can be reached at their home:
13324 Summit Ridge Drive
Nevada City, CA 95959.
Phone: 530-470-9170
Email: hogansl@comcast.net
Donations in Bill's name may be made to:
Hospice of the Foothills
12399 Nevada City Highway
Grass Valley, CA 95945
Or, if you prefer, a charity of your choice.
His boundless energy and enthusiasm was an example to us all.