Dr. David M. Pepper, a recently retired senior research scientist at HRL Laboratories and past adjunct professor in the Natural Sciences Department at Pepperdine University, was recently granted his 50th and 51st patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. This milestone places Pepper in a rarefied atmosphere of prolific inventors. The USPTO estimates that only a fraction of one percent of all inventors has 50 or more issued patents.
Pepper’s achievements have been recognized with 10 consecutive annual HRL Outstanding Inventor Awards. His patents are in the field of laser technology, including laser communication and imaging through the atmosphere, optical computing and laser ultrasound to “see” into otherwise opaque materials using light.