{"id":"alex-shevchenko","title":"Alex Shevchenko","content":"**Alex Shevchenko** is a Ukrainian technology and product expert, best known as a co-founder of [Aurora](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aurora), an [Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-virtual-machine-evm) built on the [NEAR Protocol](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol). He has over a decade of experience in the information technology sector, with a specialization in [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) infrastructure and high-performance computing (HPC) that began in 2015. His career includes key roles at the blockchain technology company [Bitfury](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfury) and the [NEAR Protocol](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol), which culminated in the creation of [Aurora](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aurora). [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-P2iWUpNVWI1DM4Vb) [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-074t9DcpcgGSlnMT) \n\n## Education\n\nAlex Shevchenko completed graduate studies at Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), earning a Master of Science in Applied Physics and Mathematics (2006–2012) and later a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Applied Physics and Mathematics (2012–2015). [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-074t9DcpcgGSlnMT) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-ToffGv7MGX4W9YLt) \n\n## Career\n\nShevchenko's early career included a role as a Technical Coordinator at Applied Parallel Computing from September 2011 to May 2014. \n\nHis career in [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) technology began in December 2015 when he joined [Bitfury](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfury), a European blockchain technology firm. At [Bitfury](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfury), Shevchenko served as the Head of the Exonum Project until March 2018. In this capacity, he was instrumental in the development of Exonum, one of the first [Layer-1](https://iq.wiki/wiki/layer-1) enterprise [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) platforms. Following this role, he transitioned to become the CEO Business Assistant at [Bitfury](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfury) from March 2018 to March 2020. In this position, he reported directly to the company's CEO and was responsible for driving operations and partnerships across [Bitfury's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfury) portfolio of emerging technology products. \n\nAfter a brief period as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at SonoCoin from June to September 2020, Shevchenko joined the product team at [NEAR Protocol](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol). While at NEAR, he recognized the protocol’s high performance and potential for [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) scalability. He theorized that [NEAR's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-protocol) capabilities could onboard millions of new users to [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) if it were made accessible to the large and established developer community of [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum). This insight led to the conception and subsequent creation of [Aurora](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aurora). \n\nShevchenko co-founded Aurora.dev and led the organization as CEO of Aurora Labs, the entity behind the protocol. In late 2025, [Aurora](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aurora) announced a leadership transition in which Shevchenko moved from the CEO position to a strategic advisor role. This shift was designed to allow him to concentrate on protocol-level work and interoperability, while a new growth-focused executive was appointed to the CEO role. \n\nIn addition to his work with [Aurora](https://iq.wiki/wiki/aurora), Shevchenko is the CEO of Defuse Labs, an organization focused on a project named [NEAR Intents](https://iq.wiki/wiki/near-intents). [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-P2iWUpNVWI1DM4Vb) [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-ToffGv7MGX4W9YLt)​","summary":"Alex Shevchenko is the Ukrainian co-founder and CEO of Aurora, an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) built on the NEAR Protocol. He holds a PhD in Applied Physics and Mathematics and previously worked at Bitfury and NEAR Protocol.","images":[{"id":"QmW2eYJaHapaiE7TdxNuQiScLogTedvu91XHZYsK9BuJoa","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"categories":[{"id":"people","title":"people"}],"tags":[{"id":"PeopleInDeFi"},{"id":"Founders"},{"id":"Ethereum"},{"id":"Developers"},{"id":"Organizations"}],"media":[],"metadata":[{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"P2iWUpNVWI1DM4Vb\",\"url\":\"https://x.com/AlexAuroraDev\",\"description\":\"Analysis of Alex Shevchenko's X profile\",\"timestamp\":1771764724676},{\"id\":\"074t9DcpcgGSlnMT\",\"description\":\"CryptoSlate - Alex Shevchenko\",\"timestamp\":1771765061888,\"url\":\"https://cryptoslate.com/people/alex-shevchenko/#:~:text=Alex%20Shevchenko%20is%20a%20blockchain,built%20on%20the%20NEAR%20ecosystem.\"},{\"id\":\"ToffGv7MGX4W9YLt\",\"description\":\"LinkedIn: Alex Shevchenko\",\"timestamp\":1771765073003,\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexauroradev/?originalSubdomain=ua\"}]"},{"id":"twitter_profile","value":"https://x.com/AlexAuroraDev"},{"id":"linkedin_profile","value":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexauroradev/"},{"id":"commit-message","value":"\"Added page for Alex Shevchenko\""}],"events":[{"id":"3c8a4b49-afbf-4d1b-92a7-f005af0a8583","date":"2015-06","title":"Earned PhD in Applied Physics and Mathematics","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Alex Shevchenko completed his PhD in Applied Physics and Mathematics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT).","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"7408702c-00d8-4c87-b60d-c92b82a7bdc9","date":"2015-12","title":"Led Exonum Project at Bitfury","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Began his blockchain career leading the Exonum project at Bitfury, helping develop one of the first Layer-1 enterprise blockchain platforms.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"e5bef290-0cda-40fb-aa4a-aa9d894efebd","date":"2020-03","title":"Joined NEAR Protocol","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Joined the product team at NEAR Protocol, where he recognized the protocol's scalability potential, which led to the conception of Aurora.","link":null,"multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"55c46e10-bdf4-4222-866e-56fb940ff637","date":"2021-05","title":"Co-founded Aurora","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Co-founded Aurora, an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) built on the NEAR Protocol, to make NEAR's performance accessible to Ethereum's developer ecosystem.","link":"https://aurora.dev/blog/aurora-raises-12m-to-scale-ethereum-ecosystem-on-near-protocol","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null},{"id":"1346b4c3-e0cf-479f-869b-3e96c3779722","date":"2022-05","title":"Managed Rainbow Bridge Attack Response","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Was a key public communicator during an attempted attack on the Rainbow Bridge, which was automatically mitigated with the attacker losing funds.","link":"https://twitter.com/AlexAuroraDev/status/1520847935492341760","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"operator":{"id":"0x4a2bC97afBF41a2Cbf4b4628F63420682Ff4CF2a"},"language":"en","version":1,"linkedWikis":{"blockchains":[],"founders":[],"speakers":[]}}