(MENAFN- Mid-East Info) Board includes 11 world-leading scientists to advance smart contact lens technology

November, Dubai, UAE - XPANCEO, a deep tech unicorn developing an invisible and weightless smart contact lens as the ultimate interface for AI-powered XR computing, announced today the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board, chaired by Nobel Laureate Sir Konstantin Novoselov. The announcement took place at the 4th edition of the Dubai Future Forum 2025 – the world's largest gathering of futurists held at Dubai's Museum of the Future.

XPANCEO, founded in 2021 by entrepreneur Roman Axelrod and physicist Valentyn Volkov, is tackling one of the most complex challenges in wearable technology: creating a smart contact lens that is ultra-thin and invisible while offering extended reality capabilities, health monitoring, zoom functionality, night vision, and other advanced features - all integrated seamlessly into a device smaller than a human fingertip.

To achieve this, the company relies on deep expertise and collaboration across multiple scientific domains. The new Advisory Board brings together world-leading experts in advanced materials, nanophotonics, optoelectronics, and flexible electronics to guide XPANCEO's research, helping turn cutting-edge discoveries into a functional, safe, and commercially viable product.

Sir Konstantin Novoselov, awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for the discovery and study of graphene - the world's first two-dimensional material. His studies have explored the electronic, mechanical, and optical properties of graphene and other novel materials, enabling advances in ultra-thin electronics, flexible devices, and photonic systems. As Chair, he brings decades of experience in developing and applying new materials to support the creation of XPANCEO's ultra-thin, multifunctional smart contact lens.

“Leading the Scientific Advisory Board is a natural continuation of my long-term collaboration with XPANCEO,” said Novoselov.“We've already achieved significant results, visible in scientific papers, and I look forward to sharing this experience with a broader team of more than 70 exceptional researchers as they create a technology with the potential to shape the future while forming the foundation for a wide range of further technological applications. Guided by the expertise of some of the world's leading scientists, the company has the necessary resources to turn ambitious ideas into reality, and I am proud to contribute to this work.”

Advanced materials, whose unique atomic structures provide exceptional optical and electrical properties, are critical to the smart contact lens, since conventional materials such as semiconductors, glasses and polymers are too bulky for a truly weightless device. The team also works with engineered nanoparticles derived from these, embedding them into standard materials to give the lens novel optical properties, effectively constructing it from microscopic“building blocks” without increasing thickness. Expertise in this field, represented by Prof. Igor Aharonovich, Prof. Andrei Kabashin, Prof. Boris Chichkov, and Dr. Alexey Slobozhanyuk, ensures the lens combines transparency, flexibility, and high performance.

One of the most technically demanding aspects of the device is image generation and display at the microscale, requiring precise control of light. Experts in nanophotonics and optoelectronics, including Prof. Luis Martin-Moreno, Prof. Alexandra Boltasseva, Prof. Aldo Di Carlo, and Prof. Kaustav Banerjee, help XPANCEO optimize these components for performance and energy efficiency, ensuring seamless operations under real-world conditions. Crucially, the successful translation of laboratory innovations into functional, wearable interfaces requires both the specialized expertise in flexible and 2D nanoelectronics provided by Prof. Deji Akinwande and the proven commercial insight contributed by Dr. Andrey Volkov. Their experience supports the company in integrating advanced materials and optical systems into wearable devices that function reliably outside the lab, bridging the gap between research, engineering, and market-ready design.

“XPANCEO is not just building a device, it's redefining human-technology interactions. Developing a smart contact lens that merges multiple intricate systems into a functional solution is possible only through close integration of scientific research and innovation. The Advisory Board's collective expertise will empower our team of engineers and scientists to solve our most complex scientific and technical challenges, accelerating the transition from our most advanced prototypes toward a product ready for everyday use,” said Dr. Valentyn Volkov, founder of XPANCEO.

With the establishment of its Scientific Advisory Board, XPANCEO reinforces its status as one of the world's top physics startups - as recognized by Nature Index - and bolsters its commitment to combining world-class scientific expertise with practical commercialization. The company is now even better positioned to accelerate the development of the first smart contact lens. This milestone also reflects the bright potential of the UAE's technological ecosystem, where transformative ideas attract the world's brightest minds. The fact that leading, globally renowned scientists are choosing to join and shape UAE-based companies underscores the nation's growing role as a hub for breakthrough innovations and frontier research.

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