Ventsislav K. Valev

Ventsislav Kolev Valev
Born (1976-08-31) August 31, 1976
Alma materUniversity of Western Brittany
Known forNonlinear Optics
Chirality
Hyper Rayleigh Scattering Optical Activity
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
ThesisInvestigation of Ferromagnetic/Antiferromagnetic Interfaces with Magnetization-Induced Second Harmonic Generation (2006)
Doctoral advisorTheo Rasing
Other academic advisorsJeremy Baumberg
Websitevalev.org

Ventsislav K. Valev, (born 31 August 1976 in Silistra, Bulgaria), is a Bulgarian physicist at the University of Bath, where he served as the Head of Department (2022-2025).[1] He works in the fields of nonlinear nanophotonics[2] and chirality,[3][4] including the Hyper Rayleigh Scattering Optical Activity effect.[5]

Career

Valev holds a PhD degree from Radboud University, obtained under the supervision of Prof. Theo Rasing.[6] Valev joined the University of Bath as a University Research Fellow of the Royal Society and Reader (Associate Professor) in 2014. He served as the Head of the University's Department of Physics from 2022 to 2025.[1]

Research

Valev’s research has focused on nonlinear and chiral optical effects in nanostructured materials. In 2009, he and his colleagues used second-harmonic generation imaging to study electromagnetic responses in G-shaped gold nanostructures, introducing what they described as electromagnetic chiral hotspots.[7] Later work from Valev and co-authors demonstrated sub-wavelength metal reshaping associated with temperature increases in plasmonic hotspots.[8] Valev’s group has experimentally demonstrated several nonlinear chiral optical effects that were theoretically predicted decades earlier by David L. Andrews.[5] This includes Hyper Rayleigh Scattering Optical Activity,[9] Hyper-Mie Optical Activity,[10] Hyper-Tyndall Optical Activity,[11] and Hyper-Raman Optical Activity.[12]

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ^ a b "Professor Ventsislav Valev elected Fellow of SPIE". University of Bath. 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  2. ^ Johnson, Sally Cole (26 January 2022). "Twisted nanoscale semiconductors manipulate light in new way". Laser Focus World. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  3. ^ "Surface plasmons easily imaged". Trends in Analytical Chemistry. 30 (7): viii. 2011. doi:10.1016/j.trac.2011.06.003.
  4. ^ Wallace, John (2011). "Surface-plasmon resonance imaging just got easier". Laser Focus World (July): 28.
  5. ^ a b "'Impossible theory' leads to discovery of new photonic effects". Laser Focus World (Digital Edition). April 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  6. ^ Valev PhD thesis
  7. ^ Segal, Michael (2009). "Gee whiz". Nature Nanotechnology. 4 (12): 799. doi:10.1038/nnano.2009.364.
  8. ^ Pile, David (2012). "Moulding metals: Plasmonic ablation". Nature Photonics. 6 (3): 145. Bibcode:2012NaPho...6..145P. doi:10.1038/nphoton.2012.26.
  9. ^ Horiuchi, Noriaki (2019). "Hyper-Rayleigh scattering". Nature Photonics. 13 (4). Nature Publishing Group: 224. doi:10.1038/s41566-019-0410-x.
  10. ^ Kivshar, Yuri S. (2022). "Mie scattering yields chiral nonlinearity". Nature Photonics. 16 (2): 89–90. doi:10.1038/s41566-021-00926-1 (inactive 17 October 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of October 2025 (link)
  11. ^ D'Alessio, Vittoria (17 June 2024). "The nanotechnological revolution requires standardised 'screws' – here is a way to measure them". University of Bath. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  12. ^ Brasselet, Étienne (2024). "Chiral nonlinear optical inheritance". Nature Photonics. 18 (9): 892–893. Bibcode:2024NaPho..18..892B. doi:10.1038/s41566-024-01514-y.
  13. ^ "Professor Ventsislav Valev appointed as Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry". University of Bath. 1 May 2025.
  14. ^ "2023 Thomas Young Medal and Prize". Institute of Physics. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  15. ^ "Optica announces 2023 Fellows Class". Optica. November 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  16. ^ "SPIE Fellow profile: Ventsislav Valev". SPIE. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Chiroptical Harmony Team wins Horizon Prize". Royal Society of Chemistry. 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  18. ^ "Professor Ventsislav Valev elected Fellow of the Institute of Physics". www.bath.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  19. ^ "VC Awards put public engagement with research centre stage". www.bath.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2025.