Born and raised in Belarus, Kiryl Puchyk emigrated to the United States six years ago, and enrolled in Kingsborough Community College in New York. Previously, he had interned and worked as a TV reporter at major Russian-language media outlets in both Belarus and Israel. The topics he covered ranged from foreign affairs to social issues and environmental protection. While working with a team of Israeli military journalists, Kiryl developed a strong interest in international security and policy-making, prompting him later to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science at Hunter College, the City University of New York, where he focused on Russian and European security. For his honors thesis, he explored Russia’s preventive motivations as a potential explanation for the crisis in Ukraine. He presented his research findings at regional and national conferences as a Ronald E. McNair scholar. Kiryl went on to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Chicago’s Committee on International Relations. There, he expanded his research and explored the concept of spheres of influence during and after the Cold War. Combining his passion for journalism and international relations, Kiryl currently works as a Domain Expert and Senior Associate at Dataminr, a real-time information discovery company. He serves as an Eastern European specialist on breaking news and developments, helping clients separate news from noise and react to ongoing security challenges better and faster. Additionally, in line with his interest in technology, he helps the Engineering and Product teams to identify and resolve technical issues, and educates his colleagues on the latest technological developments and features. In his free time, Kiryl enjoys playing the piano, reading, and longboarding.