Vasily N. Lednev is a senior researcher at the Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His research interests range from the fundamentals of laser–matter interaction (laser ablation and laser plasma) to laser remote sensing diagnostics by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), Raman scattering and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). During the last 10 years, his main activity has focused on developing express diagnostics based on laser spectroscopy for scientific and industrial applications.