Alexander Makarov was born in a Siberian town of Irkutsk in 1966 and went to study to Moscow Engineering Physics institute where he obtained his PhD. After 2 post-doc years in Warwick Univ., he joined a small high-tech company HD Technologies in Manchester (UK). There he has started his work on the Orbitrap mass analyzer. Following the acquisition of the firm by Thermo Electron Corp. in 2000, Alexander has provided scientific leadership of the Orbitrap R&D which led to the commercial launch of LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer in 2005 and subsequent extensions of this technology. He has received H.-E. Merck award, Award for Distinguished Contribution in Mass Spectrometry of ASMS, Curt Brunnee research award of IMSF, Science and Technology Award of HUPO, Thomson medal of IMSF and others. His hobbies include traveling (and not just to conferences), mountain skiing, roller-blading.