Dr. Valentyn S. Volkov is Co-Founder and CTO at XPANCEO, a deep tech company developing smart contact lenses for AI-powered XR computing. He is an internationally renowned expert in nanophotonics and advanced materials with over 200 published papers and 8,000+ citations.

Volkov earned his PhD at Aalborg University in Denmark and served as Head of the Laboratory of Nanooptics and Plasmonics at Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT). He also held positions at the University of Southern Denmark and directed the Center for Photonics and 2D Materials at MIPT.

Volkov ranks among the top 2% of scientists globally in his field and has pioneered breakthrough work in graphene nanophotonics, 2D materials, and nano-optics. His research forms the scientific backbone for XPANCEO's smart lens technology.

Co-founded XPANCEO in 2019 with Roman Axelrod, leading a team of 100 world-class scientists and engineers. The company has developed 15 working prototypes and published 110 scientific papers, earning recognition as a top 3 physics startup worldwide by Nature Index.

XPANCEO raised $290M in total funding, including a $250M Series A at $1.35B valuation, making it the UAE's 12th unicorn and achieving the largest Series A in AR/VR wearables globally. The company has earned 24 international awards in deep tech and wearable technology.