Private Data

I prefer not to disclose certain types of information about myself, my family or my friends on public internet resources. Therefore, on this page, I will not provide details of my current employer or location beyond my city of residence. If you require additional information or my full CV, please contact me directly via email at [email protected].

Concise Biography

One of my earliest childhood memories, from when I was perhaps 3 or 4 years old, is of helping my father build a light music box. This was during the time of the late Soviet Union, where it was difficult to obtain such devices from electronics shops. My father explained to me what transistors, cascading amplifiers, and frequency filters were, as well as how to use lacquers to color incandescent light bulbs. All are still relevant today. Except, colouring incandescent bulbs - one, would, likely use LED lights for that purpose these days!

My grandfather was the director of a factory that produced TV sets back in 80th. He always had some latest cool gadgets in his house, such as first personal computers and TV game consoles. I used to visit my grandparents during almost every school holiday, and it was during these visits that I became fascinated with computers. These electronic machines soon became my passion, my profession, and a lifestyle.

My native language is Russian and when I first started using computers I did not even know how to read Latin alphabet. Yet, I had a concept of computer program and Pravetz 8D computer manual in English with examples written in BASIC. I began by coping examples into REPL console and translating the manual into Russian with a dictionary, word-by-word. Since I did not know how to pronounce English words correctly I invented my own pronunciation – some of those words still linger in my accent even after more than 20 years of living in the UK!

I completed my studies at a physics and mathematics specialized school in Moscow in 1996, after which I enrolled at the National Research University of Electronic Technology MIET, Faculty of Microdevices and Technical Cybernetics. My aspirations were to become a computer games developer. However, at the time there were no specific courses for this field in Russian universities. As a result, I picked a more general specialisation – Computer Systems and Networks.

During my studies from 1996 to 2001, I was exposed to a diverse range of engineering subjects such as analogue and digital electronics, high-frequency and low-noise systems, network protocols, PCB and microchip design, and engineering graphics. This period coincided with the dot-com boom, the emergence of Linux, and the transformation of small game development companies into large game studios. However, my interests evolved over time and by 1999, I became fascinated with robotics and brain-computer interfaces. This shift in focus prompted me to reassess my career aspirations, and I ultimately decided against pursuing a career as a computer games developer.

After completing my undergraduate degree in computer engineering, I moved to the UK in 2001 to study English language and culture and gain experience living abroad. The following year, I was accepted into the MSc program in Medical Electronics and Physics at Queen Mary, University of London. While there, I built my first EEG signal amplifier for human brain analysis and defended my masters thesis.

Following my MSc, I was offered a PhD position in Biomedical Engineering at City, University of London. My research focused on developing Dynamic Pulsatile Spectroscopy for Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring, and I defended my thesis in 2009. I continued working on this research as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant and then a Research Fellow at City, University of London.

Between 2010 and 2014, UK universities faced a challenging time. The government ceased providing interest-free student loans, and UK and EU students were required to pay the same tuition fees as students from other countries. Additionally, academic research funds were reduced significantly. Despite making considerable progress in my research, receiving several grants and submitting two patent applications, the university decided to discontinue my non-invasive blood glucose monitoring project.

Although I was offered a rolling contract to continue other studies and teaching in the university, I decided to take a break from academia and pursue a further career in industry as an Embedded Software Engineer. Despite thinking of myself as "a programmer who thinks he is a physicist", I felt that my programming skills needed improvement and that I required experience outside academia. In 2014 I joined a mid-sized scientific instrumentation company in Cambridge as R&D Software Engineer to work on the user interface and control software for their cutting-edge analytical instruments.

One of the major products I contributed to was a gas analyzer for combustion engines, renowned as the fastest and most accurate instrument on the market. Its modular design enabled multi-modal in-cylinder measurements in real time. The control software I worked on was tightly integrated with the analyzer's sensors and a web-based user interface. It was designed to fine-tune sensor configuration and handle high data throughput, pushing the compute platform to the limits of its capabilities.

Around 2019, the company faced pressure from a government initiative to transition the automotive industry from combustion engines to electric vehicles. As a result, the company lost many of its traditional clients and began exploring new markets, such as air quality monitoring and the calibration and characterization of automotive electric engines. My primary project was discontinued shortly after its market debut, around 2022.

Between 2021 and 2024, my projects became more diverse, though less challenging in terms of architecture and computational complexity. During this time, I had the opportunity to explore a wide range of programming languages and software technologies, including TypeScript, Node.js, React, Python with Typings, Go, C++20, and Rust. I also worked with cloud platforms, containerized deployment, and microservice architectures – including self-hosted and embedded systems.

While I appreciated the opportunity to learn and contribute to several smaller yet significant for the company projects, I felt it was time to seek new opportunities that would offer greater challenges, foster professional growth, and drive innovation in software development.

In 2024, I joined a larger company in Cambridge specializing in Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) products. Although I initially applied for a frontend engineering role, I was soon transitioned to embedded systems and Linux programming as a Senior Software Engineer.

This role marks the beginning of a new chapter in my career, where my education and experience in software, physics, and research converge to make a meaningful contribution to societal development. Currently, my focus is on sharpening my systems programming skills and exploring quantum technologies, QKD and cybersecurity.