Ivan received his RNDr and CSc degrees in Quantum Electronics and Optics from Comenius University in Bratislava, in 1981 and 1989, respectively, the DrSc degree from Slovak Academy of Sciences in 1998, and Dr.h.c. from University of Žilina in 2022. In 1985 he joined the Department of Experimental Physics at Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, where he later became Professor of Physics. In 1990, as a recipient of the IREX Fellowship, he was a Visiting Fellow in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University, USA. In 1991 he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering where he became a Senior Research Scholar and the Manager of the Lightwave Communication Research Laboratory. Between 2007 and 2022, he was with the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK as Professor of Broadband Communication Systems. Currently, he is Visiting Professor and Researcher at University of Žilina, Slovakia. Ivan has co-authored a number of book chapters, over 350 scientific publications, presented over 86 invited talks and lectures and holds 5 US patents.