Prof. Dr. Valentin L. Popov
studied physics and obtained his doctorate from the Moscow State Lomonosow University. He worked at the Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences. After a guest-professorship in the field of theoretical physics at the University of Paderborn, he has headed the department of System Dynamics and Friction Physics in the Institute of Mechanics at the Berlin University of Technology since 2002. His areas of interest, among others, include tribology, nanotribology, tribology at low temperatures, biotribology, the influence of friction through ultrasound, numerical simulation of frictional processes, research regarding earthquakes, as well as themes relating to materials sciences such as the mechanics of elastoplastic media with microstructure, strength of metals and alloys, and shape memory alloys. He is the joint editor of international journals and regularly organizes international conferences and workshops over diverse tribological themes.