My background

I studied nanotechnologies at one of the technical universities in St. Petersburg. While getting my Bachelor’s, I also worked at a research institute where I studied material structures at an atomic level via transmission electron microscopy. Using a microscope, I examined antimony nanoinclusions inside indium gallium arsenide semiconductors. This material may be an efficient alternative to other common semiconductors, such as silicon, in high-speed processors, transistors, and other electronic devices since indium gallium arsenide exhibits a high electron mobility. I got 4,000 rubles a month for working about four hours a week at the institute and just as much for my stipend – 8,000 a month in total.

How and why I applied for my Master’s

I got my Bachelor’s degree in 2021 and started to ponder over what to do next. One option was to begin a Master’s; it was a chance for me to deepen my knowledge, advance my academic career, and study abroad on exchange. 

I was familiar with ITMO: my two elder brothers earned their PhDs here. I, too, wanted to do my Bachelor’s at ITMO, but I didn't get a tuition-free position, so this was my chance to finally study where I wanted to from the very beginning. Moreover, I knew that many laboratories at ITMO collaborate with international companies, and some programs here are English-taught. Altogether these made me think that I’d achieve my goals here.

As a result, I got a tuition-free spot in Physics and Technology of Nanostructures. I opted to have my result of the state final examination counted as the result of my entrance test – I passed the exam and had a high GPA. 

What I learned 

The program offered two tracks – in Russian and English. I went for the latter because I wanted to improve my language skills – and indeed I did, though it wasn’t easy to get used to studying in English.

In terms of topics and skills, the program picked up where we left off during my Bachelor’s; as before, I continued to work in nanomaterials and nanotechnologies but also drifted into a new field for me – nanomaterials for photonics and optics. As a Master’s student, I began to take a more active part in contests, grants, conferences, and different research activities. Thanks to that, I managed to work with various methods of spectrophotometry, including ultraviolet-visible and circular dichroism spectrophotometers. Both are used to analyze the absorption of liquid solutions and thin films at different wavelengths. At the labs, we investigated the absorption of quantum dots to evaluate the quality of synthesis and determine their sizes, as well as the chiral properties of organic and plasmonic nanostructures. Such structures are utilized to create ultrasensitive biomolecule detectors and selective light control. During classes on nanotechnologies for biomedicine, we learned how to locate and eliminate cancer cells using nanoparticles and laser heating.

My colleagues from the International Research and Educational Center for Physics of Nanostructures and I published a paper in the top-ranked journal Applied NanoMaterials. We proposed a simple and affordable laser technology to prevent counterfeiting of silver. The idea is to spray a set of silver nanoparticles on the surface of a given product and then process them with polarized laser pulses. The resulting nanopatterns are hard to replicate without knowing how the laser polarization changed when applying the security label.

Internships

I had two internships abroad during my training. In total, I spent a year and a half at two universities in France. 

During my second semester, I managed to get a five-month internship at Institut Jean Lamour – one of the largest materials science research institutes in France. Their internships were regularly advertised at the university, so I applied and got in. The requirements weren't harsh, and one of the internships was on transmission electron spectroscopy. I was lucky – I already had some experience in this field. I submitted my CV and letter of motivation and had an online interview. Within two to three weeks, I received an email saying that I was accepted. 

While doing my internship, I continued to study at ITMO and worked in France. I had a €550 Erasmus scholarship and earned €850 per month for my work at a laboratory – but half of this money went to the dormitory fee. As a lab assistant, I was on a project on bimetallic nanoparticles – these particles can be used as reaction catalysts or temperature nanoindicators, but my research was fundamental rather than applied. 

In my second year, I went to France again, but this time for a year. I got an invitation to Mines Nancy from Alexandre Nominé, a renowned French researcher in materials science. He collaborates with ITMO’s Faculty of Physics and even came to work at ITMO for some time. I met him in person when I was doing my internship. 

In that year, I learned to look at research more broadly. At Mines Nancy, we, as a team, got to bring to life an eco-friendly lighting project; we had to not only find out which rare earth metals are used in LEDs, but also calculate how many we need to replace incandescent ones and reduce CO2 emissions, as well as analyze the LED lamp market, competitors, and our target audience. That gave us skills that are vital for any scientist. In parallel with my studies, I also worked as a lab assistant and helped other students working with a desktop electron microscope. At that time, I made around €900 a month, including my scholarship, but still had to pay half of it for my dorm.

In September 2023, I returned to Russia to complete my Master’s. Then, I worked at the International Research and Educational Center for Physics of Nanostructures for 50,000 rubles per month. As I graduated, I found a job in the industry where my starting salary was 90,000 a month. In three months, I went from an application engineer to the head of an optics department and started to make 150,000 rubles a month.

What I gained by doing a Master’s

Unlocked leadership position and higher salary

Most scientists’ salaries come from grants. I figured that I’d need two or three years to make good money in science. I wished to do that sooner, so I started thinking about a job in the industry, sending out my CVs, and responding to openings at commercial companies.

Two weeks later, I was offered a position as an engineer at the research and production company Uran in St. Petersburg. They actually noted that my education was the reason they hired me. My employer was confident that ITMO provides quality education, plus many of my colleagues graduated from the same university. The company distributes optical measuring equipment used to calibrate lenses, eyepieces, camera lenses, telescopes, and other devices. At the start, I specialized in video measuring systems and microscopes and made 90,000 rubles a month. 

After three months, I was promoted to the head of the new optics department. Now, I earn 150,000 rubles a month, plus a bonus, which depends on the sales – once I got as much as 215,000 rubles. I’m sort of a bridge between the company and its clients. For instance, if a client has a problem they want to solve but aren’t competent enough in the market and specialized equipment, I can consult them on the appropriate tools and prepare a commercial offer. 

In addition, I train sales managers who don’t have technical education on how to promote our devices; I also make presentations for them, represent our company at specialized exhibitions, and go on business trips to meet our international suppliers.

Mastered a variety of equipment

Both in Russia and abroad, I learned to operate different devices, namely electron and transmission microscopes, magnetron sputtering systems, and standard and circular dichroism spectrophotometers.

Now this experience helps me a lot in my work; I know how to use different technologies and software and I understand my customers’ problems and can quickly provide them with the right solution.

Improved my English

An English-taught track, soft skills courses, and internships abroad – all this helped me improve my English skills. I still use it almost everywhere, from business correspondence and commercial proposals to communication on business trips. By the way, I once got to work as a translator for my company when we had negotiations with our Chinese partners. That was also quite an experience.