What courses do you teach?

“Calculus,” “Theory of Functions of a Complex Variable,” “Algebra and Geometry,” “Differential Equations,” “Machine Learning.”

According to the widely accessed information from the social media, you mention two native cities, Tbilisi and Kyiv. Why so?

I was born in Tbilisi. After graduating from the military college, my father was assigned to the capital city of Georgia. There, my parents met each other. Therefore, I spent a significant part of my childhood in Tbilisi.

How did you arrive to Kyiv then?

It’s simple. When I was seven, my father was assigned back to Kyiv.

When did you start taking interest in math?

Back in school. At first, I got interested in computer science and computers in general. Just as I was studying in the fifth grade, they built a computer lab in our school. Later on, thanks to my teachers, I got interested in math. Many things in computer science require knowledge of math, you know.

When did you decide to enter the KPI?

In my eighth grade, I decided on my future major. It was something connected with math, computer science. At the end of the eleventh grade, I found out that there is the Faculty of Applied Mathematics at the KPI, where they have the major I wished for.

What do you do in the pastime away from teaching in the university?

I write articles on computers, study research fields of interest. I’ve got many hobbies, such as reading, F1 racing, collecting things. Also, I love listening to good music and writing songs.

So you play instruments?

Yep.

Which ones?

I play the guitar, bass, keyboards. Slightly worse, I play percussion. I do it as an amateur. Some time ago, I used to play in a band.

When you were a student?

No, I was a student in the 90s, and that time was primarily devoted to studying and working. Also, I didn’t come across like-minded people. I played in the band for the last three to five years. Due to the current circumstances, the band came to a halt. However, the participants from time to time express thoughts of bringing it back to life.

Have you got any guiding principle in life?

I’ve got plenty of those. For instance, always be honest, value true friendship and those who help you. Also, I believe you need to do the job you really like. That’s why I try to avoid, if possible, doing things I dislike. :) Of course, you cannot always pull this off, so you sometimes have to do what you despise. However, one should try to choose her hobby as well as her job so as to get as much satisfaction as one can.

Do you enjoy being a lecturer? Why did you decide to become a lecturer in the first place?

Yes, I like it. I began lecturing a little spontaneously. At the end of my fifth year, I was proposed to stay at the Department as a postgraduate student and a lecturer. After that, I finished my first year of teaching, then the second one, and the rest is history. It is more than fifteen years now since that time. And I don’t feel I’ve got any less desire to carry on spreading the knowledge.

How did you deal with cheating at the start of your teaching career? You were just a former student yourself at the time.

I fought cheating much. At first, there were some complications, as I wasn’t familiar with the various methods of cheating. When I was a student myself, I lacked the need in cheating because in most cases it was easier to study the material and get a grip on it. So I had to inquire my colleagues about the techniques to fight cheating.

How did you cope with humanities?

According to what students tell, nowadays the demands in humanities are sufficiently higher. In our times, we needed to pass simple tests for the majority of humanities. It sufficed to demonstrate the basic knowledge of the appropriate material, and to attend all the classes, to pass everything.

What three books would you recommend?

It is hard to name exactly three books, as it is too small a number. I think even ten wouldn’t be enough. If you insist on three, I would choose Clifford Simak, Strugatsky brothers, and historical fiction.

What three movies would you recommend?

Three again? :) Movies are like books in the sense that everyone should find what she likes for herself. If you want me to name the first thing to come up, for the time speaking I would choose “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” Or, for instance, a superb sci-fi trilogy “Back to the Future.” As for the Soviet movies, I could name “Only Old Men are Going to Battle,” and “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed.”

In fact, I can recite the titles for hours, since there are many good movies out there.