# Alex Shevchenko

> 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 a...

- Canonical URL: https://iq.wiki/wiki/alex-shevchenko
- Categories: People in crypto
- Tags: Ethereum, DAO, DeFi, Developer, Founder
- Created: 2026-02-22T13:11:43.979Z
- Last updated: 2026-02-23T22:02:00.000Z
- Source: IQ.wiki — the world's largest blockchain and crypto encyclopedia (https://iq.wiki)

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**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) 

## Education

Alex 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) 

## Career

Shevchenko's early career included a role as a Technical Coordinator at Applied Parallel Computing from September 2011 to May 2014. 

His 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. 

After 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). 

Shevchenko 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. 

In 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)​