Alexander Shleyfman was born in Ukraine (the former Soviet Union) and came to Israel as a child with the rest of his family. Despite  the difficulties of studying in a new country in a foreign language, Alex discovered early on that he was attracted to the language of mathematics. During his school days, he took part in math tournaments both locally and abroad, garnering a bronze medal and honorable mention at the International Tournament of Towns in Mathematics, and honorable mention at the Israeli School Tournament in Mathematics. His passion for math led Alex to higher studies in the field at the Technion. However, he always perceived mathematics more as a tool than as an ultimate destination. Hence, while completing his BSc degree, he delved into topology and functional analysis, and upon its completion he started seeking a better way to apply the tools he had acquired. Artificial Intelligence (AI) gave him the context he sought, and he earned his Master’s degree (summa cum laude)  in it at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management at the Technion.  Still at the Technion, he is now pursuing the enigmas of AI in his PhD research under the supervision of Prof. Carmel Domshlak.