James Russell
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- For other uses, see: James Russell (disambiguation).
James Russell (born 1931 in Bremerton, Washington) is an American inventor. He earned a BA in physics from Reed College in Portland in 1953. He joined General Electric's nearby labs in Richland, Washington, where he initiated many types of experimental instrumentation. He designed and built the first electron beam welder.
In 1965, Russell joined the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory of Battelle Memorial Institute in Richland, where he introduced his ideas and theories about optical data storage, constructing prototypes of digital to optical recording systems. He did pioneering work of digital optical recording and playback now used for CDs and DVDs. His work has been done in isolation, and did not affect the independent work accomplished by pioneering research within MCA, Thomson, and Philips that forms the basis of the CD and its successors.
