My name is Alex.

I am 24, born and raised in Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia.

Novosibirsk is a large city, the 3rd in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersburg. But it is far less famous than those two. It does not have a huge historical heritage and ancient buildings. At the same time, it is not super futuristic. Also, it is located almost in the center of Eurasia, very far from major populous areas.

That’s, probably, why it is not well-known even in other parts of Russia, let alone the world. However, it does not mean that Novosibirsk is boring. In fact, it has several world’s records:

The temperature here varies significantly (from -54 °C (-65 °F) to +42 °C (+107 °F)).
The longest subway bridge in the world is here.

The first and only liliger in the world was born in the Novosibirsk Zoo.

Planirovochnaya (literally, “Planning”) Street is parallel and perpendicular to itself, and has an inter-section to itself.

Opera theater - the most recognizable symbol of Novosibirsk

A typical neighborhood in Novosibirsk

Sometimes, it's really cold in Novosibirsk. -37 °C in this picture.

During my childhood, I used to be a professional chess player. I participated and won in numerous tournaments, mainly in Russia. My greatest achievement was a bronze medal (the 3rd place) in the Russian Chess Championship among boys under 16 (Sochi, 2008). Thanks to chess competitions, I started to travel a lot. I visited many Russian cities: Sochi, Belgorod, Tula, Moscow, Rybinsk, Kazan, Ekaterinburg, Omsk, Barnaul, Tomsk, Novokuznetsk, Abakan, Yakutsk.

Sochi

Yakutsk. It can be -70 °C there. That's why they build houses on piles.

Kazan

Rybinsk

Also, I participated in the European Chess Championship among boys under 16 in 2008, Herceg Novi, Montenegro. That was my first trip abroad.

I am at the European Chess Championship, 2008, Herceg Novi, Montenegro

Later, I realized that chess was becoming more and more computerized. Specialized software engines play chess far superior than humans. I gave up on chess and concentrated on my education. I have been studying Information Systems and Technology at the Siberian Transport University.

Siberian Transport University, Novosibirsk

My passion for travels did not disappear. After my 3rd year of study, I went to the United States to participate in the so-called Summer Work and Travel program. It is kind of a cultural exchange program, designed in order for foreign college students to know the US. As it is apparent from its name, the program allows students to work during the summer at an arbitrary job and then travel around the US for a month. I utilized the opportunity to the maximum. I had been working as a ticket seller/ride operator at a traveling carnival in Wisconsin. Then I bought a Greyhound monthly pass and had been traveling to many cities and places across the United States. I visited New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami Beach, Daytona Beach, Myrtle Beach, Washington D.C., Boston, as well as Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls.

Washington, D.C.

Las Vegas

Niagara Falls

Grand Canyon

San Francisco

Los Angeles

Chicago

During the next few years, I occasionally traveled both in Russia and abroad: the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Thailand, Cyprus, China.

Dubai

Sheregesh, Siberia

Thailand

Red Square, Moscow

Dalat, Vietnam

Beijing

Cyprus

I like coding since my college years. I have been programming both for a living and for pleasure. I am mostly .NET/C# guy. But I do not limit myself to a single platform. I have some experience in Java, JavaScript, Python, SQL.

I heard about Bitcoin for the first time during its bubble in December, 2013. I learned more about its underlying technology (blockchain, proof-of-work) and realized that it was here to stay, despite its decline after the bubble. Although blockchain development has not been my major priority, I have been following the news about it since then. And now, I have finally decided that blockchain, smart contracts, dapps, and everything around them is what I should focus on. I entered a PhD program at the University of Notre Dame. And I plan to develop my research around these technologies. Despite many challenges they are fraught with, I witness their rapid growth. And the incredible success of Steemit must be the proof.

Please feel free to contact me:

https://www.facebook.com/AlexSanbir
https://twitter.com/_AlexBiryukov_
https://github.com/sanbir
https://www.linkedin.com/in/biryukovalexander
mailto:alex@abiryukov.com