Alexander Oraevsky

Alexander A. Oraevsky (born 1957) is a Russian-born academic who is known for pioneering work in biomedical optoacoustics. He is sometimes described as the father of biomedical optoacoustic imaging.

Early life and education Oraevsky was born in 1957. He received his initial training in physics and mathematics at the Moscow Physical and Engineering Institute in Moscow. He earned a B.S. in theoretical and experimental physics in 1978 and a M.S. in ultrafast laser spectroscopy of biomolecules in 1980. In 1986, he completed a doctorate in laser spectroscopy, photochemistry, and biophysics at the Institute of Spectroscopy of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Career Oraevsky began research in optoacoustic imaging, sensing, and monitoring in the late 1980s.

Before founding TomoWave Laboratories in 2010, Oraevsky served as vice president of research and development at Fairway Medical Technologies and as chief scientific officer and a board member of Seno Medical Instruments.

Among Oraevsky other contributions was the development of combined optoacoustic and ultrasound systems for breast imaging. He designed a clinical platform for co-registered functional and anatomical mapping of breast tumors, which improved diagnostic specificity relative to conventional ultrasound alone.

Oraevsky also co-authored work on nanoparticle-enhanced optoacoustic imaging, including in vivo detection of gold nanorods as contrast agents for laser optoacoustic imaging systems.

Awards and recognition Oraevsky received an Academy of Sciences award for young researchers in 1987 and an Outstanding Young Faculty Award from the Institute of Spectroscopy in 1989.

In 2015, he received the James Smith Award from the International Photoacoustic and Photothermal Association for pioneering contributions to biomedical photoacoustic imaging. He was elected a Fellow of SPIE in 2016 and a Fellow of Optica in 2021.