Alexander Belov

Alexander Belov is an Assistant Professor and researcher at the Faculty of Computing, University of Latvia. He has held this position since 2016, while also serving as a researcher at the same institution since 2013. Prior to this, he completed postdoctoral work at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in the Netherlands (2015-2016) and MIT's CSAIL (2014).

His educational background includes:

• PhD in Computer Science, University of Latvia (2009-2014), supervised by Andris Ambainis
• Master of Mathematics, University of Waterloo (2008), supervised by Ashwin Nayak
• Master of Computer Science, University of Latvia (2006-2009), with distinction
• BSc in Computer Science, University of Latvia (2002-2006), with distinction

Dr. Belov's research focuses primarily on quantum algorithms, with emphasis on upper and lower bounds for quantum complexity of various problems, applications of the adversary method, and discrete quantum walks. He also explores theoretical computer science topics including models of computation, query complexity, lower bounds, and related mathematical techniques. His work bridges deep theoretical insights with potential practical applications in quantum computing.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward developing novel quantum algorithms, particularly for problems like monotonicity testing, k-distinctness, and group testing. His work often establishes important lower bounds and separation results in quantum query complexity. The research spans theoretical computer science, quantum information, and mathematical techniques for analyzing computational problems.

Dr. Belov has received several prestigious awards:

• IEEE Conference on Computational Complexity 2014: Best student paper award
• IEEE Conference on Computational Complexity 2013: Best student paper award
• International Olympiad in Informatics 2002, Korea: Gold Medal
• International Mathematical Olympiad 2002, UK: Silver Medal
• International Mathematical Olympiad 2001, USA: Bronze Medal

Dr. Belov serves as the principal researcher for the ERDF project "Quantum walks for large speed-ups, and general limitations of quantum algorithms" (project number 1.1.1.2/VIAA/1/16/113). He has been actively involved in reviewing papers for major conferences including STOC, FOCS, SODA, CCC, ICALP, ESA, QIP, and SOFSEM, as well as journals like Algorithmica, Theory of Computing, and Physical Review A. He has also contributed significantly to mathematical education in Latvia through Aivars Liepa's Extramural Mathematics School, preparing high school students for international olympiads and serving as the leader of Latvia's team at the 54th International Mathematical Olympiad.