A. I. Kononov is a student of prof. Rapoport, who worked for many years at the Department of Molecular Biophysics, a student of the outstanding scientist Academician Terenin, the founder of the “photonics” direction. The scientific interests of A. I. Kononov are primarily related to biophotonics, a field that studies the interaction of photons and biological objects.

The main research areas of A. I. Kononov's scientific group are at the intersection of physics, chemistry, medicine and biology and are associated with the development, as well as the study of the structure and dynamics of various supramolecular complexes based on polymers and biopolymers:

• Biosensors based on complexes of polymers, DNA and proteins with metal nanoclusters and quantum dots for medical diagnostics
• Self-organization of DNA in complexes with metal ions: nanostructures for nanosensors and nanoelectronics
• Photonics of biomolecules

Main research methods:

• stationary and time spectroscopy
• quantum chemistry

Main grants of the group in recent years:

• “Korean-Russian international cooperation on the creation of new hybrid nanomaterials for biosensorics and photodynamic therapy” (5 million rubles, 2020-) (RFBR)
• "Development and characterization of biosensor systems based on metal nanoclusters for the detection of biomarkers and phototherapy of vitiligo" (15 million rubles, 2020-) (RNF)
• "Luminescent metal nanoclusters in nucleoprotein matrices" (10 million rubles, 2019-2020) (Russian Science Foundation)
• "Luminescent metal nanoclusters in nucleoprotein matrices" (15 million rubles, 2016-2018) (Russian Science Foundation)
• "Photoprocesses on the femtosecond time scale in stacked cytosines" (leader from the Russian side, 2017-2019) (CRDF Global)

Publications of recent years in the most rated journals:

1. R. Ramazanov, D. A. Maksimov, A. I. Kononov. Noncanonical Stacking Geometries of Nucleobases as a Preferred Target for Solar Radiation.J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137 (36), 11656–11665. [DOI link]
2. L. Volkov, Z. V. Reveguk, P. Yu. Serdobintsev, R. R. Ramazanov, A. I. Kononov. DNA as UV light–harvesting antenna, Nucleic Acids Res., 2018, 46 (7), 3543-3551. [DOI link] ON COVER
3. V. Reveguk, E. V. Khoroshilov, A. V. Sharkov, V. A. Pomogaev, A. A. Buglak, A. N. Tarnovsky, A. I. Kononov, Exciton Absorption and Luminescence in i-Motif DNA, Sci. Rep. 2019; 9: 15988. [DOI link]
4. R. Ramazanov, T. S. Sych, Z. V. Reveguk, D. A. Maksimov, A. A. Vdovichev, A. I. Kononov, Ag−DNA Emitter: Metal Nanorod or Supramolecular Complex? J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2016, 7, 3560−3566. [DOI link]
5. D.A. Maksimov, V.A. Pomogaev, A.I. Kononov, Excitation spectra of Ag3 –DNA bases complexes: a Benchmark Study, Chemical Physics Letters (2017), 673, pp 11-18. [DOI link] ON COVER
6. R. Ramazanov, A. I. Kononov, Excitation Spectra Argue for Threadlike Shape of DNA-Stabilized Silver Fluorescent Clusters, J. Phys. Chem. C, 2013, 117 (36), 18681–18687. [DOI link] ON COVER [Cover]
7. Reveguk, R. Lysenko, R. Ramazanov, A. Kononov, Ultrafast fluorescence dynamics of DNA-based silver clusters, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018,20, 28205-28210. [DOI link]
8. Reveguk Z.V., Pomogaev V.A., Kapitonova M.A., Buglak A.A., Kononov A.I. Structure and Formation of Luminescent Centers in Light-up Ag Cluster-Based DNA Probes, J. Phys. Chem. C. 2021, 125, 6, 3542–3552. [DOI link]
9. A.A.Buglak, T.A.Telegina, E.A.Vorotelyak, A.I.Kononov. Theoretical study of photoreactions between oxidized pterins and molecular oxygen. J Photochem Photobiol, 2019, 372, 254-259. [DOI link]
10. Buglak, A.A., Kononov, A.I., Comparative study of gold and silver interactions with amino acids and nucleobases, RSC Advances, 2020, 10(56), 34149-34160. [DOI link]
11. Sych T.S., Polyanichko A.M., Plotnikova L.V., Kononov A.I., Luminescent silver nanoclusters in probing immunoglobulins and serum albumins in protein mixtures, Anal. Methods, 2019, 11, 6153-6158. [DOI link]