Vladimir Aksyuk
National Inst of Standards and Technology, USAFor pioneering contributions to optical switching and sensing systems utilizing micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) actuation principles and nanophotonics.
Vladimir Aksyuk's career is all about playing to his strengths and following his interests. He has taken an unconventional career path, bringing him to his current varied and unique position. After moving to the United States to pursue graduate work at Rutgers University, Vladimir met David Bishop, who would become his PhD advisor following a summer internship at Bell Labs. Vladimir had been studying high-temperature superconductors, but, at the time, Dr. Bishop’s Bell Labs group was pivoting to more optical telecommunications-related problems. Dave suggested that Vladimir look into a new technology called microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS. Since then, Vladimir has moved into more integrated optics, developing novel micro and nanoscale systems that integrate electro-mechanics with photonics and plasmonics for applications in measurement science. Beyond this research, he is interested in intelligent systems and machine learning and how it relates to optical measurement. His interest in consciousness and how to model this to inform machine learning and artificial intelligence evolved from a hobby into a new line of research.
Vladimir is particularly interested in developing a comprehensive understanding of whatever he's working on, no matter the topic. He always wants to fully understand why a particular result occurs or why a solution works. Going back and forth between making a new measurement and figuring out the "why" eventually leads to a robust and complete understanding that can be applied to other research areas. He tries to "systematically measure things to tease out what they are doing so that what [he] learns informs what [he] measures next and so on until there is a complete understanding." Vladimir can then suggest the broader implications of the new measurements and present them to related fields, and "people who are interested in other bits and pieces can more easily apply this new knowledge to something they're doing."
Vladimir shares that while a great fit for him, having such an eclectic mix of research interests can sometimes prove challenging. For instance, he doesn't feel intimately tied to any singular research group but instead enjoys a range of collaborations. He sometimes finds it difficult to find postdoctoral researchers for multidisciplinary projects and more challenging to give them mentorship advice focused specifically on the traditional academic career path. He offers his mentees opportunities to explore their interests and doesn’t impose his own ideas unless there is a problem. “I offer them a problem-rich environment and keep my office open. They can always come in and bounce their crazy ideas off me or talk about places they're feeling stuck. While providing feedback on technical and career questions, I often also connect them with my colleagues with more experience in relevant areas."
Early in his career, a mentor shared some advice with Vladimir that he still follows: "Ask yourself, are you learning from the people and processes around you?" Vladimir shares that this simple question ensures you continue evolving and never settle into a mundane routine. In particular, a research career requires a supportive and creative environment from which to learn and gain inspiration. Vladimir shares another piece of advice from his time at Bell Labs: Just because someone claims that a particular experiment doesn't work, that doesn't mean you shouldn't explore the idea further. Instead, aim to understand why it failed so you can try a different approach.
Unsurprising, his mentors over the years offered him nontraditional guidance. Vladimir benefitted from mentors early in his life. Besides his scientist father, an elementary school teacher with extensive training in math passed that interest on to her students. In high school, Vladimir had the opportunity to become a lab assistant at the Institute for Solid State Physics for Alexei Ustinov, who was a postdoc at that time. This relationship further inspired Vladimir to pursue physics as a career. At a recent conference, the two reconnected after all these years. In his undergraduate study, Vladimir admired the quantum mechanics instructor's dedication, who spent weeks working with each student to make sure they could explain the problems in the homework to her. He explains, "If you could explain the problem to her, then you actually understood, and we fully learned quantum mechanics." Finally, the guidance of David Bishop and John Gates, another scientist at Bell Labs, allowed him to explore his interests while offering help when needed.
In his free time, Vladimir enjoys skiing and freediving. Skiing he does with his son, 11, who is starting to really enjoy the sport. Another hobby, freediving, is something Vladimir has trained himself to do over many years, finding it much more enjoyable than scuba. The freedom of exploring the water unencumbered by tanks and gear is a rewarding challenge. Vladimir also practices meditation and Buddhism, though not as a religion. Instead, Vladimir finds the practices inspired by Buddhism of understanding one’s mind through direct experience particularly informative. While Vladimir's professional aim is to understand his research fully, he also aims to understand himself.
Photo courtesy of Vladimir Aksyuk
Profile written by Samantha Hornback
Above: Vladimir freediving
