Ilya was born in Moscow, Russia and moved to Victoria at the age of 9. He is currently enrolled in Mechanical Engineering at University of Victoria where, throughout the last 4 years, he has been a part of numerous clubs, and worked on various projects from designing a supersonic rocket for Spaceport America Cup, to building a microplastic collector USV. His role at Open Ocean Robotics is to assist in mechanical design where needed.
In his spare time Ilya enjoys sailing, skiing, weightlifting and hiking or working on his car.