Lev graduated from Latvian University (Latvia, Riga, former USSR) in 1979, defended a PhD in physics in 1985 (Salaspils, Institute of Physics, Latvia, former USSR), postdoctoral positions in the UK with Mike Gillan, Marshall Stoneham and Alex Shluger, before getting a lecturer appointment in 2002 at KCL. Progressed to a Reader in 2005 and Professor in 2009. I am an author of more than 200 papers in referred journals and 3 books.