Alexander Sergeev
National Center for Physics and Mathematics, Russia
Scientist in the field of laser physics, femtosecond optics, theory of nonlinear wave phenomena, plasma physics and biophotonics.
Born on August 2, 1955 in the village of Buturlino, Nizhny Novgorod Region.
In 1977, he graduated from the Department of Radio Physics at Gorky State University named after N. I. Lobachevsky (now the National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, NNSU) with a degree in radio physics. He started his carrier as a research intern at the Institute of Applied Physics of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
In 2003 he was elected a corresponding member, and in 2016, he was elected an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. From 2017 to 2022, he was the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Since October 2022 he has been appointed Scientific Director of the National Center for Physics and Mathematics.
Awards and Recognition:
State Prize of the Russian Federation in Science and Technology (1999)
Order of Honour (2006)
Government Prize of the Russian Federation in Science and Technology (2012)
Gruber Prize in Cosmology (as part of the LIGO collaboration) (2016)
Officer of the Order of the Academic Palms, France(2018)
Laureate of the International Medal "For Contribution to the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology" awarded by UNESCO (2018)
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 4th Class (September 10, 2020) - for significant contribution to the development of science and many years of fruitful work
Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod" (2021)
Honorary Citizen of the Nizhny Novgorod Region (2021)
The A. M. Prokhorov Gold Medal (September 19, 2023)
Order of Alexander Nevsky (February 5, 2024)
Quantum sensorics for biology and medicine
Quantum sensing (Q-Sens) utilizes quantum phenomena—such as quantized energy levels in microscopic objects, the quantum states of light and fields, superposition, and entanglement—to create ultra-sensitive and precise sensors. This field can be broadly divided into two complementary approaches: (1) The use of single quantum objects (photons, atoms, molecules, nanoparticles, quantum dots, color centers, Josephson junctions) as sensitive, often optical, probes; and (2) The development of macroscopic devices for detecting quantum processes (e.g., single-photon detectors, spectrometers, microscopes). These methods and devices measure physical quantities like temperature, magnetic fields, time, or gravity with unmatched sensitivity and accuracy, surpassing classical limits. They are enabling breakthroughs in quantum computing, telecommunications, metrology, navigation, medical imaging.
Here, we examine the state of the art in the fields of single-photon detection, optics, lasers, chemistry, and nanofabrication, focusing on their applications in quantum sensing. Subsequently, we will concentrate on the adoption of Q-Sens in the life sciences. Specifically, we will discuss:
- Label-based fluorescence nanoscopy, including applications in living cells, three-dimensional imaging (with adaptive optics), fluorescence lifetime imaging, and quantum ghost imaging with correlated photons;
- Theranostics with nanoparticles and targeted drug delivery;
- Surface-enhanced Raman scattering and photoluminescence for ultra-sensitive medical analytics (e.g., in flow cytometry);
- Diamonds with color centers for intracellular thermometry and magnetometry, applicable to encephalography and cardiography;
- Physical chemistry and innovative fabrication techniques for new types of labels and structures, such as biomimetic molecules, nanolithography, genetic encoding, and DNA origami.
Special attention will be given to optical tomography of scattering biological tissues and multispectral fluorescence in vivo bioimaging for preclinical studies, which utilize modern single-photon detectors.
