Originally from Kharkiv, Ukraine, Eugene Provrozin moved to the United States, and to Champaign, more than a decade ago. Although his job as the technical director for the MarginDx project keeps him busy, he’s a devoted family man. When he’s not caring for his elderly parents or raising his young son, he tries to find time for exercise and being in nature. And he’s always hand-in-hand with his beloved wife, Olena.

What do you like about working at the Beckman Institute?

Working at the Beckman Institute makes me feel like I’m part of this huge, multi-department system, but somehow it still feels personal. What really makes the Beckman community special is that everyone feels welcomed, and everyone here has a real presence and a meaningful impact on what we’re all building together.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Outside of work, my time revolves around my family. Caring for both my immediate and extended family keeps me busy. I'm grateful to have both my parents living here. Their life stories serve as a reminder to stay strong and look for the bright side. Much of my spare time is dedicated to my son, supporting him and helping him learn new things. I’m also deeply fortunate to share this journey with a very special person, my wife. We have overcome many challenges to be together, and we partner on many adventures and activities.

I also enjoy the outdoors, whether I’m hiking, camping, gardening or grilling. Being in nature helps me maintain a balanced perspective. Throughout my life, I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and exploring creative outlets like playing music, practicing massage therapy, making wine, baking bread and distilling spirits. Even though I don’t have a lot of free time right now, I plan to return to these interests eventually. But more than anything, exercise has been a big part of my life since I was a kid.

Describe your role at the Beckman Institute.

As the technical director for the MarginDx project, I lead the technical development of an intense, revolutionary initiative to build a robot-assisted intraoperative imaging tool. Our goal is to help reduce reoperation rates during cancer surgeries by enabling real-time, label-free cancer margin detection in the operating room. Funded through ARPA-H’s Precision Surgical Interventions program, we’re developing a robotically guided microscopic imaging platform designed to perform during surgery.

What is your personal motto?

If you want change, be the change. As Gandhi famously said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Describe your career path up until this point.

After spending eight years with the B.M. Krasovitskiy Department of Luminescent Materials and Dyes in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and earning my Ph.D. in bioanalytical chemistry, I moved to the United States to pursue a career in the analytical instrumentation industry. I joined ISS Inc., a manufacturer of fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy instrumentation, where I spent 12 years serving as the applications manager and later as the spectroscopy product manager. In 2024, I joined the Beckman Institute as a member of the Biophotonics Imaging Lab to focus on the MarginDx project.