Roman Maev

Dr. Roman Maev

Roman Grigorievich Maev (Russian: Роман Григорьевич Маев), (born 1945 in Moscow) is a Russian-born physicist. Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) (2019), Full Professor in Physics (2005), Dr. Sc. (2002), Ph. D. (1973). He is the founding director of the Institute for Diagnostic Imaging Research, University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Distinguished University Professor of the Department of Physics at the University of Windsor and one of Canada's prominent solid-state physicists and educators.

The disciplines encompassed by Dr. Maev include theoretical fundamentals of physical acoustics, research in ultrasonic and nonlinear acoustical imaging, nanostructural properties of advanced materials and biomaterials, additive manufacturing, and instrumentations in medical diagnostics, as well as in art and culture heritage analysis.

Dr. Maev is also the founding President and CEO of Tessonics Group, in design, development and production of ultrasonic technologies for industrial and medical applications. Founded in 2003 in Birmingham, Michigan, U.S.A. Tessonics launched its first generation ultrasonic resistant spot weld analyzer (RSWA) in 2005 and within two years was recognized as an industry leader in this market segment. Today, Tessonics Group is composed of independently functioning branches in twelve countries around the world with the headquarters located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Maev has been the Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Canada (Windsor, Ontario) since 2008 and continues his duties currently.

Early life and education

Dr. Maev was born in 1945 in Moscow, in the former USSR. He received his M.Sc. degree in theoretical nuclear physics from the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) in 1969, where he was bestowed with the so-called Red Diploma, indicating that his marks never fell below an A. In 1972, he received a Prize in Theoretical Physics from the National Young Scientist Society. In 1973, Dr. Maev received his Ph.D. in the theory of semiconductors from the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. His doctoral research was prepared at the Laboratory of Quantum Radiophysics of that Institute, led by Academician Nikolay Basov, a Nobel Prize Winner best known for his work in quantum electronics, which led to the development of lasers and masers. In 2002, Dr. Maev defended his Dr. Sci. Degree with the Title: “Methods of Acoustic Microscopy for Investigation of Microstructure, Physical and Chemical Properties of Materials” and was granted by the Russian Government Dr. Sc. Diploma from the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2005, Russian Federation Government granted Dr. Maev Diploma of Full Professor in Physics in the field “Scientific Equipment and Methods for Experimental Physics”.

Scientific and academic career

In 1978, Maev was appointed as head of the Laboratory for Biophysical Introscopy at the Institute of Chemical Physics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and in 1984, he began to serve as acting chairholder of the Biomedical Physics Chair at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. In 1987, he established and became founding director of the Acoustic Microscopy Center at the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1990, he received a fellowship from the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission, and as a result was invited by the US government to take a special series of courses at Harvard Business School, where he studied for several months, through Harvard Business School’s Scientific Business Management Fund. From 1990 to 1994, Maev was deeply involved as one of the leaders in the Russian Government program in technology transfer. During that period, Maev, as one of the directors of that program, together with his team of technical and IP specialists as well as legal experts successfully transferred about a dozen high-tech technologies with an average value of $45–50 million, primarily with Europe.

In 1994, Maev moved to Canada through an intergovernmental exchange program. He holds both Russian and Canadian citizenship. In 1995, Roman Maev was appointed a Full Faculty Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada, and in 2002, he became a Chairholder of the DaimlerChrysler Industrial Research Chair. Since beginning his research activity in Canada, which has been ongoing since 1995, Maev has received support for his research from various industrial partners and government agencies and grants totaling over $36 million.

Throughout his academic career Dr. Maev has been appointed an Adjunct Professor at Oxford University, Johns Hopkins University, McGill University and the University of Michigan, in addition to being a member of the Brockhouse Materials Research Institute at McMaster University. He has held Visiting Professorships at the NIST, Rochester University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of California, Technische Universität München, Bundeswehr University, Kyoto University, Hefei University, Université Paris VI, Aberdeen University and University of Palermo. He is currently Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, Wayne State University and the Wrocław University of Science and Technology.

In 2002, Roman Maev completed a D.Sc. Degree in physical-mathematical sciences with special recognition of his dissertation with the topic: “Methods of Acoustic Microscopy of Investigation of Microstructure, Physical and Chemical Properties of Materials” from the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2005, he received certificate of a full professorship in physics from the Government of the Russian Federation.

Dr. Maev currently serves as a member of the editorial advisory board of the ASNT Journal of Research in Non-destructive Evaluation of the BINDT Journal “Insight”, Scientific Program Chair of various International Conferences, Symposiums, and Workshops. Throughout several years he has also served as guest editor of special issues of various prestigious journals. Dr. Maev is a Fellow of IEEE (bestowed IEEE Distinguished Lecturer), Fellow of BINDT, Fellow of CINDE, Fellow of RSNTTD. He has been on the Nano Ontario Board of Directors since 2012, member of the board of directors of the Ontario BioCar Initiative, chair member of the organizing and program committees of various international conferences, symposiums and workshops, such as IEEE UFFC, SPIE Medical Imaging, NDE in Art Analyses, ASNT, CINDE, RSNTTD, etc. During the last decade, Dr. Maev gave more than 120 invited and keynote presentations over the world at various international congresses, symposiums and workshops.

Awards

Roman Maev is the recipient of numerous national and international awards for his innovations, research discoveries, and inventions. In recognition of his contribution to the development of the ultrasound technique, Dr. Maev was awarded the Pioneer Award by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine in 1988. In 1989, he was awarded the Centenary Ernst Abbe Medal from the World Microscopical Society. In 2001, he received a Letter of Recognition for Research Excellence from the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. In 2001, 2002, and 2006, he received awards for outstanding research and development from the DaimlerChrysler Corporation. From 2001 to present time the University of Windsor has granted him various awards in recognition of research and scholarship excellence. In 2003, Maev received the Canada Innovation Summit Award in Recognition of Contribution to New Knowledge and Technical Innovation. In 2007, he received the Ontario Premier's Catalyst Award for the Start Up Company with the Best Innovation. In the same year, he was awarded the Canadian Association of Physicists Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Industrial and Applied Physics.

In 2009, he was elected as an IEEE Fellow and in 2010 he was elected as a full member of the Russian A. M. Prokhorov Academy of Engineering Sciences. In 2011, he received the William Gardner Award at the 50th Annual Conference of the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing. In 2012, Maev was bestowed the Research Award for Sustained Excellence by the American Society for Non-destructive Testing. The same year Dr. Maev was honoured with the Russian Foreign Affair Order for his contribution into Canadian-Russian relations. In 2014 (awarded in 2015) he was granted the Best Paper Award from the Canadian Journal of Physics, for the paper “A Review of Imaging Methods in Analysis of Works of Art: Thermographic Imaging Method in Art Analysis”. In 2015–16, Dr. Maev received the IEEE Distinguished Lecturer Award. The American Society for Non-destructive Testing awarded him the ASNT Outstanding Paper in 2016 for “Grain Size Measurements of Copper Spot Welding Caps via Ultrasonic Attenuation and Scattering Experiments”. The following year, Dr. Maev was honoured with the Russian Order of Friendship for his long-term great contribution into international relations.

In 2019, he was conferred the BINDT Roy Sharpe Award in recognition for his outstanding contribution to NDT. In 2019 he was elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences and received the prestigious title of the Academician, - the highest title bestowed upon a researcher.

Principal research contributions

In 1978, Maev was appointed as a head of the Laboratory of Biophysical Introscopy of the Institute of Chemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and in 1979, he designed and built the first high resolution (500 MHz) transmission-mode acoustical microscope. In 1980, Maev began to collaborate with Leitz Inc., in Wetzlar, Germany to contribute to theory and design methodology that lead to the production of the world's first commercially available scanning acoustical microscope, the ELSAM, in 1983. From 1984 to 1990, along with his associates from his academic research school, he developed the theory to determine the amplitude of acoustic waves occurring in transmission-mode microscopy and derived new quantitative amplitude-based method for more accurate material characterisation. In 1989, Maev designed, built, and commercialized a new portable commercial receiving-mode acoustic microscope which was implemented in various research institutions in Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, China and Germany. Later, in 2001, he developed a novel portable handheld high-frequency acoustic imaging system for the characterization of bulk structures of advanced materials, such as metals and alloys, superconductive ceramics, aerospace composites, unique polymers and biopolymers.

Over the course of his career, Roman Maev has established world-renowned research schools, first in Russia, he founded an Acoustic Microscopy Center in Moscow, and later on in Canada, he founded the Institute for Diagnostic Imaging Research in Windsor, Ontario. He has mentored over 270 graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom have gone on to leadership positions in academic and the private sectors worldwide.

Dr. Maev has also created eight spin-off companies: Tessonics Inc., (Canada); Tessonics Corp., (USA); Tessonics Medical Systems Corp., (USA), Tessonics Europe GmbH, (Germany); True Phantom Solutions Inc., (Canada), True Image Solutions Ltd. (UK), Technology Decision Management, Inc., (Canada); ONtech Rapid Coatings Inc., (Canada).

Publications and Patents

The diverse range of disciplines encompassed by Roman Maev includes theoretical fundamentals of solid-state physics, physical acoustics, experimental research in ultrasonic and nonlinear acoustical imaging, nanotechnology, and the theory of propagation of waves through layered structures. As of 2020, he has published four monographs and over 592 research peer-reviewed papers. He holds 32 patents.

International Activities

Since 1997 and up to now Dr. Maev is a member of the Canada-Russia Intergovernmental Economical Commission. In 2008, Roman Maev was appointed an Honorary Counsel of the Russian Federation in Canada (Windsor, Ontario) and continues his duties to this day. Dr. Maev is the Vice President, Coordinator of International Scientific Project Development at The Russian Society for Non-destructive Testing and Technical Diagnostics (RSNTTD) since 2019.

Tessonics

In 2005, Maev became the founder of Tessonics Inc., a Canadian high-tech start-up company that develops and manufactures innovative ultrasonic imaging technologies for industrial and medical applications. Initially, Tessonics provided advanced ultrasonic imaging-based weld quality control solutions to the automotive industry. As of today, Tessonics Group has also secured a foothold in a few other advanced marketing sectors.

The Institute for Diagnostic Imaging Research (IDIR)

In 2008, Maev became the founding director of the Institute for Diagnostic Imaging Research, multidisciplinary, collaborative research, and innovation consortium. The Institute was formed in 2008 in conjunction with the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, which provided an initial research investment of $5 million and during twelve years since its start has received support from various industrial partners and government agencies and grants totaling over $25 million. The Institute uses applied physics to create innovative imaging research that is often commercialized through technology transfer initiatives that include the private sector and the development of spin-off companies.

Personal life

Maev is married to Russian-Canadian physicist Dr. Elena Maeva. The couple met in Moscow when Maeva was studying for her doctoral degree. They reside in Windsor, Ontario with their daughter and son.