Yes, that is correct. Long before he was known for his views on Peak Oil (which I'm not really in agreement with), he was known for his work in fusion. I find it interesting that his wikipedia page shows little detail about his early career.

Here are some references: http://www.aero.umd.edu/html/sedwick/presentations/S9P1_Robe...

http://www.issues.org/13.4/hirsch.htm

http://fire.pppl.gov/fusion_critic_response_stacey.pdf (section V)