Alexei Gruverman is a Professor of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he holds the Charles J. Mach Professorship (formerly Charles Bessey Professor). He earned his Ph.D. from Ural State University in 1990 and held research positions at Sony and NC State before joining UNL in 2007, becoming full professor in 2012. Gruverman is a world-renowned pioneer of piezoresponse force microscopy for studying nanoscale ferroelectric and polar materials, leading to breakthroughs like voltage-free mechanical switching and unexpected ferroelectricity in ultrathin films. His lab investigates scanning‑probe‑based imaging and manipulation of ferroic domains, polar surfaces, and biocompatible materials. Gruverman has authored over 240 publications with more than 15,000 citations, earned major awards including the Humboldt Research Award and IEEE Ferroelectrics Recognition Award, and leads numerous NSF and DOE-funded projects.