Valerii Tuchin, a specialist in medical physics, biomedical optics, and biophotonics, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a world-renowned scientist, head of a large scientific school, author of monographs, textbooks, and research papers in highly rated publications, celebrates his 80th birthday on February 4.

His scientific interests are extremely wide. Most modern scientific fields related to medical topics have somehow emerged from physical laboratories. These are biological and medical physics, biophotonics, biomedical optics, laser spectroscopy and imaging in biomedicine, nonlinear dynamics of biophysical systems, optical and laser measurements in biophysics, as well as nanobiophotonics.

Valerii Tuchin is the author of more than 60 patents of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Portugal, and the USA, the author or editor of more than 100 books, book chapters, special issues of journals, conference proceedings, textbooks, lecture manuals, brochures, and more than 1,000 research papers and analytical reviews.

He has supervised 12 doctors of sciences and 41 candidates of sciences. He also holds the record for the number of prestigious international awards. In particular, he has received the international award For outstanding achievements and in recognition of the unprecedented contribution to world education in biomedical optics and biophotonics.

The scientist's innovative research in the field of optics and optical illumination of biological tissues has played a revolutionary role in solving many applied problems, these methods have taken a worthy place in medical diagnostics and therapy.

Recent years have been very successful for the Department of Optics and Biophotonics, SSU, chaired by Valerii Tuchin. In three years, eight PhD theses and one doctoral thesis have been successfully presented, Saratov physicists continue to integrate into Russian science, have been working closely with Tomsk State University for five years, conducting joint research with Lomonosov Moscow State University, Sechenov University, ITMO University and, of course, with the Saratov Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which has the laboratory for laser diagnostics of technical and living systems.

The priority for the research team led by Valerii Tuchin is the development of technologies for deep visualisation and targeted effects on pathological tissues, which can be used in a wide spectral range, from ultraviolet to terahertz. Together with the staff of the research medical centre, the university physicists plan to expand the range of optical approaches to the study of living objects.

His colleagues once noticed that the number of grants received by him and the department (5 megagrants alone) could guarantee a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

The scale of his research in the world is also impressive. For almost four decades, more than 50 international conferences have been organised in Russia, the USA, Europe, and China, and more than a hundred invited and plenary reports have been made. As a scientist, Valerii Tuchin is known in almost all scientific centres of the world, where they are engaged in studying biophotonics.

Valerii Tuchin heads the officially recognised leading scientific school of Russia, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and is one of the most cited scientists in the world. His works have been cited by reputable scientific publications almost 40 thousand times! Last year, the Russian Professorial Assembly awarded him the with the Professor of the Year national award in the Physical and Mathematical Sciences nomination.

Today, we have a unique opportunity to talk with this most interesting person, who has given some advice to those who are going to devote their lives to science. Read the interview with him, Science Is Sports!, in the Research City section.

Moreover, the professor is in excellent athletic shape, although he complains that his daily routine is determined by what needs to be done here and now. He has signed the contracts with two publishing houses for the preparation of the second and third editions of his monographs and a new textbook, and two more collective monographs are planned. Being a visiting professor at many universities around the world, this year, Valerii Tuchin has lectured in China, at Hainan University.

Saratov State University congratulates the world-renowned scientist on his anniversary and expects new breakthrough ideas in biomedical optics and biophotonics from Valerii Tuchin!