He holds degrees in economics awarded by Russian and US institutions of higher learning. He is lecturer at the Moscow Higher School of Economics and chief rating officer for regional and infrastructural ratings of the Rus-Rating Agency. As a senior analyst and project worker employed by such organizations as Alliance Bernstein, the World Bank or several Russian investment companies and corporate clients (Gazprom, Rosneft) he was in charge of elaborating strategies for Russian debt markets, analyzing the indebtedness of Russian regions as well as interest rates. His main professional focus is on debt markets, regional economies, government and municipal finance and the economics of old-age pension systems.