Born to a family of mathematicians he did not deviate. After an MS in Budapest he went on to earn a Phd at the Univeristy of Cambridge, where he subsequently worked as a Postdoc. Returning to Hungary as a Magyary fellow he was affiliated with the Eötvös University and then joined CEU.
Beyond research in many branches of Group Theory and teaching at the University level, he also taught mathematics to bright children in secondary school. He gave expert advise to the state lottery company, he took part in providing the computational background for the Hungarian edition of the Ecyclopaedia Britannica (and so is responsible for the almost disappearance of the entry 'alchemy'). He also teaches Judaism at various levels. Being a father of 4, he has no time left for playing contract bridge.