Keynote Speaker 1

Engineering the Invisible: Enabling Technologies for Smart Contact Lenses

A single, nearly invisible device that can augment vision, provide AI-assisted information, and monitor health once belonged to science fiction. Today, advances in nanophotonics, nano-optics, biosensing, wireless communication, and miniaturized electronics are bringing this concept closer to reality. This keynote will explore the scientific principles and enabling technologies behind smart contact lenses, highlighting how individual optical, sensing, and electronic components can be engineered to operate safely on the surface of the eye. It will also address the key challenges of combining these technologies into a biocompatible, multifunctional platform and outline the path from laboratory prototypes towards fully integrated smart contact lenses for health monitoring and seamless human–machine interaction.

Dr. Valentyn S. Volkov

Valentyn S. Volkov received his M.Sc. degree in physics in 2000 from Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia)and obtained his Ph.D. in 2003 from Aalborg University (Denmark). From 2003 to 2008, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, Aalborg University (Denmark). Since 2008, has been an assistant professor and associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark. In 2019, Valentyn S. Volkov became the director of the MIPT Centre for Photonics and 2D Materials (CP2DM) at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Russia). Alongside his academic career, he is the Founder and CTO of XPANCEO, a deep-tech company specializing in next-generation optoelectronic devices, and the managing director of the XPANCEO Emerging Technologies Research Center. Founded in 2021 by Valentyn S. Volkov and Roman Axelrod, XPANCEO has raised $290 million at 1.35B valuation. The company’s latest Series A round was led by Hong Kong-based Opportunity Ventures (Asia).
Valentyn S. Volkov’s research interests encompass various areas such as 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures, quantum materials and applications, bio-sensing technology, linear and nonlinear nanooptics, plasmonics, and scanning near-field optical microscopy. He has an impressive publication record, with over 300 peer-reviewed papers and more than 12000 citations to his name.
Valentyn S. Volkov, an accomplished educator with a 17-year track record, has been instrumental in sharing his vast knowledge with engineers and physicists at the university level. His expertise in teaching extends to general and specialized courses, guaranteeing students a comprehensive education in their chosen field. Moreover, Volkov played a pivotal role in developing comprehensive study plans in Materials Physics and Sensor Technology. Additionally, he has successfully supervised the progress of 8 Ph.D. students and provided guidance to 20 B.Sc. and M.Sc. students throughout their academic journeys.

Research interests:

  1. 2D materials.
  2. Biosensors and graphene-based devices.
  3. van der Waals materials and heterostructures.
  4. Quantum materials.
  5. Advanced materials for energy applications.
  6. Linear and nonlinear nano-optics.
  7. Integrated and waveguide optics.
  8. Scanning near-field optical microscopy and spectroscopy.