He received his Ph.D. in Geology at the Moscow State University, Russia, in 1982. He also received Ph.D. in Geophysics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1996. He is involved in research in permafrost geophysics, with particular emphasis on the ground thermal regime, active layer and permafrost processes, and the relationships between permafrost, hydrology, biota, and climate. He is also examining the scientific and practical aspects of environmental and engineering problems involving ice and permafrost, subsea permafrost, seasonally frozen ground, and seasonal snow cover. Dr. Romanovsky is also interested in the improvement of mathematical methods (analytical and numerical modeling) in geology and geophysics.