Professor Maksymov grew up in Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union until 1991. After Ukraine became independent in 1991, the country switched its economic system from the planned socialist economy to the free enterprise system, and in 1994 Professor Maksymov started two successful businesses in resale and real estate at the age of 17. In 1996 Professor Maksymov moved to London, UK, and eventually to the United States to study accounting. He graduated with Master's of Accountancy from Brigham Young University (2004), got his CPA license while working for Deloitte (2004-2009), and earned his Ph.D. in Accounting at Cornell University (2015). Since 2014, Professor Maksymov has been a proud Sun Devil faculty member teaching (ACC450 "Principles of Auditing") and publishing at ASU.