He graduated in physics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) and, in 2007, completed his doctoral thesis, "Dynamics of dark matter in galactic centres", at the Lebedev Physical Institute (LPI - Moscow, Russia) where he has been a researcher until 2015. He has also worked at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (2010), at the Rochester Institute of Technology (2001-2012) and at the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford (2015-2017). Since 2017, he has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge.

His work focuses on the field of galactic stellar dynamics. His research interests include: dynamical modelling (measuring the structure and mass distribution) of the Milky Way, its constituents such as globular clusters, and other galaxies in the Local Group and beyond, using a large inventory of methods (Schwarzschild's orbit-superposition models, action-based distribution functions, Jeans equations, numerical simulations, etc.); structure and evolution of galactic nuclei, dynamics of stars around single and binary supermassive black holes; black hole feeding rates; and the analysis of large observational datasets, e.g. from the Gaia space mission.

He combines his research activity with teaching and public outreach. He also regularly participates in outreach activities such as the Science Festival in Cambridge, the Royal Society Exhibition in London, the Open Astronomy day in Ely and the public lectures at the Institute of Astronomy open evenings series.