Dr. Alexander L. Zaitsev of the Russian Academy of Sciences is also the Chief "Cosmic Call" scientist for Team Encounter. ... Even during difficult economic times in Russia , Alexander Zaitsev has been able to successfully conduct international radar astronomy research projects with Europe, the United States and Japan. ... Second, near-Earth asteroid radar research (the subject of his Ph.D. dissertation, 1997). ... In 1997 he received the Tsiolkovsky Gold Medal of the Russian Space Federation. ...