Alexander (Sasha) has always been fascinated by the relationship between socio-political and economic factors, and the natural environment including marine and coastal areas. This shaped his interest in transboundary governance with respect to environmental issues and inspired his academic ambitions. He holds a Bachelor´s degree in political science (Roosevelt University, Chicago, USA) and a Master´s degree in socio-ecological economics and policy (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria). His past experiences include work with the UNEP Vienna Office, where he carried out data collection and research on different environmental and governance issues, with a particular focus on sustainable economic development, as well as his active involvement in a project in the North Caucasus region focusing on integrating locals’ knowledge in rural sustainable development.

Sasha is currently working at GRID-Arendal, across a diverse range of projects on sustainable blue economy, circular economy as well as marine and coastal ecosystem restoration. He was one of the trainers in Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) workshops in Namibia and the COBSEA region, where he taught a section on circular economy as an essential part of SBE. Furthermore, he co-developed the Sustainable Blue Economy capacity building materials for the Blue Solutions initative.