Student Bohdan Krauze Wants to Protect Civilians Under Siege

The Ascend Accelerator Program is Helping Him Develop a Solution

Bohdan Krauze is a talented student in the Master of Science in Physics program. Most days, you'll find him in professor Dr. Alla Reznik's Advanced Detection Devices Lab where he conducts medical imaging research.

His spare time, though, is consumed with developing a system that could disable small first-person view (FPV) drones armed with explosives.

Although nets can capture and disable drones, Bohdan won't incorporate them in his counter-drone system. "Nets often open up too early or they miss the drone entirely," he says. (Photo Credit: Unsplash/Valentin Zickner)

"There are a limited number of counter-drone systems worldwide, and most of those I've seen are designed for larger drones," he says.

"What differentiates my system is that it's designed to address the growing limitations of traditional radio-frequency (RF) counter-drone systems, which are becoming less effective as drone technology develops."

Bohdan has been able to pursue this project because of the support he's received from Lakehead's Ingenuity Ascend Accelerator program. Ingenuity is a business incubator that mentors young entrepreneurs keen to launch start-up companies.

"Ascend was wonderful," he says. "I learned a lot of essential business skills, and Alyson MacKay, who runs the program, lets me know about grants I'm eligible for."

Starting a New Life in Canada

Getting his counter-drone system off the ground has become an urgent challenge for Bohdan after witnessing the devastation Ukraine has suffered in the war with Russia.

He grew up in central Ukraine's rolling fields and fertile farmland, and Bohdan was there on February 24, 2022—the day his country was invaded.

"It was terrifying," he recalls.

Until then, his biggest concern had been applying to overseas master's programs.

Bohdan enjoys pushing himself academically. "I've loved physics since high school because it's hard and challenging to understand," he says. "At first I was bad at it, but I thought I could be good if I applied some effort. I wanted to become a researcher who helps solve problems." In 2022, he earned an undergraduate physics degree at Volodymyr Vynnychenko Central Ukrainian State Pedagogical University.

"Suddenly, there were missile attacks not far from our house. Air raid sirens would go off and my parents would shout, 'Get down to the cellar!'

And the conflict is even more dangerous for Kiev and cities close to the frontline," he says.

A couple of months after the war began, Bohdan's mother, father, and his eight-year-old sister immigrated to Thunder Bay after his parents found jobs in the city.

Bohdan was accepted to Lakehead's physics program, but the situation was more complicated for him. The Ukrainian government had prohibited younger men from leaving the country, so he had to wait a full year before receiving permission to begin his master's studies in Canada.

Bohdan lived most of his life in central Ukraine (above) before coming to Canada in 2023. (Photo Credit: Unsplash/Ivan Antonenko)

"I chose Lakehead to be with my family and because I was attracted to its powerful physics department," he says. "I wanted to study with Dr. Alla Reznik, an excellent physics professor."

He was eager to get involved with Dr. Reznik's positron emission tomography (PET) research, which is aimed at helping people with cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

"I thought, 'Wow, she is so cool, I want to be like her," Bohdan says. "Now she is supervising my master's thesis."

Taking Action Against Atrocities

Despite being absorbed in research to develop better brain-scanning technology for Alzheimer's patients, Bohdan was often preoccupied by the war in Ukraine.

"I saw YouTube videos of the Russian military using drones to strike civilian targets, including farmers, farm vehicles, paramedics, and ambulances," he says.

"It made me super sad. I remember crying and thinking, 'What can I do to make a difference?'"

For his master's thesis, Bohdan is combining Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose Alzheimer's disease more accurately. The goal is to reduce the number of expensive scans needed by patients. He and Dr. Reznik's research team are doing this by building a PEM insert that can be used in existing MRI machines.

At first, Bohdan was doubtful he'd be able to contribute anything of value. Large Ukrainian defense companies were already manufacturing sophisticated weapons systems.

"Then I decided that I wasn't going to sit at home doing nothing," he says. "I would try to build something that would help save lives."

From Bohdan's resolve came the idea for a counter-drone system that can destroy small FPV-armed drones easily and cheaply.

"Although drones are very precise, their weakness is that they have to slow down as they're getting ready to strike," he explains.

"My system would shoot down decelerating drones with a weapons system that could be mounted on vehicles."

Creating a More Secure World

Bohdan's counter-drone system is in the development stage, and he hopes to have a prototype ready in the near future. At that point, he'll begin applying for grants to refine his invention and incorporate his company.

He believes his system could be deployed to protect both military personnel and civilians at risk of being attacked.

"I see it as potentially helping Ukrainian farmers working in fields because they've often been targeted by small drones carrying explosives."

"I thought my counter-drone system would be ready in three months, but it takes much more time to develop a product," Bohdan says. "Sometimes, things I imagine in my head don't work as well in reality. For instance, after ordering camera lenses, I discovered that they didn't fit the camera, so I had to find connectors for them." Above, is a draft version of Bohdan's counter-drone system.

He hopes to collaborate with a company that uses video technology to detect approaching drones. This would allow people to gather in a safe spot while his invention eliminates drones.

"Rather than focusing exclusively on expensive military-grade systems," Bohdan says, "I envision a system with civilian and public-safety applications that could protect populated areas near active conflict zones."

Funding from The John Dobson Foundation has helped make Bohdan's research possible.