Ventsislav K. Valev is a Professor of Physics and Research Fellow of the Royal Society, in the Physics Department of the University of Bath, where he heads the MultiPhoton NanoPhotonics group. Prior to taking up this post, he was a Research Fellow in the Cavendish Laboratory, at the University of Cambridge.

His research group focuses on the interaction between powerful laser light and nanostructured materials. In January 2019, his team "made history" by demonstrating a new physical effect that had eluded scientists for 40 years - Hyper-Rayleigh Scattering Optical Activity.

Valev's main expertise is in building laser experiments for studying novel materials, such as plasmonic nanostructures, metamaterials, 2D materials and quantum optical materials. He aims to discover new properties and to test theoretical predictions. His focus is on the physics of photons, electrons and magnetism confined to tiny volumes of space – nanoparticles or 2D sheets. He seeks out new and useful intersections between classical electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. Valev's investigations are both fundamental and applied, with potential benefits for the pharmaceutical, food, perfume, and agrochemical industries.