Alexander Timokha obtained his Ph.D. in fluid dynamics from Kiev University in 1988 and, later on, a full doctor of physics and mathematics degree (habilitation) in 1993 at the Institute of Mathematics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. He is now Leading Researcher and Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Institute of Mathematics. Since 2004, he has been a Visiting Professor at CeSOS, Trondheim, Norway. In the 1980s, he was involved as a consultant of hydrodynamic aspects of spacecraft applications for the famous design offices Yuzhnoye and Salut. Dr Timokha's current research