Iulia Melchakova 

ITMO Fellow, researcher at the Faculty of Physics

How did you become a scientist?

Although I am a chemist now, I began my studies dreaming of becoming a forensics expert. However, in my first year of studies, I got into chemistry and by the end of my second semester I was engaged in research. I enjoyed creating things and finding answers as to why something is the way it is. As a student, I saw science as an intriguing hobby, but it grew into something serious and I am very happy about it.

What do you love most about your work?

As a scientist, you are often swinging between “I am so smart” and “I am unbearably dumb” – that’s because we are dealing with something that no one’s done before. I am very driven at the moments when I find a new interesting object to study or come to curious conclusions that answer a question I’ve long strived to unravel. Also, cuteness alert: I love seeing the excitement and enthusiasm of my students. This is the greatest reward for a lecturer and supervisor.

What helps you recharge after a period of intense work?

I love walking and listening to podcasts: it’s great to become a listener for a while after thinking over a problem.

What would you say to young girls out there thinking of a career in science?

Do it, try, make mistakes, and keep trying. So many opportunities in the present can lead to a completely unpredictable and exciting future.

Elena Koshel 

head of the DNA Nanosensor Diagnostics Lab, associate professor at ChemBio Cluster

How did you become a scientist?

I realized my love for nature and curiosity as a child. And I think that innate curiosity about the beautiful world around us is the greatest foundation for a career in science. I knew that I wanted to be a biologist at school – since childhood, I’d been collecting plants and beetles, growing something, and experimenting. However, there weren’t any scientists in my family and at first, my dream wasn’t supported. So, I had to prove my intent by winning various school competitions. For me, doing science wasn’t a goal in itself, but rather a natural expression of my curiosity. I can’t imagine a more interesting job and I consider myself very lucky.

What do you love most about your work?

I am captivated by the process of research, of studying and understanding life and our world. As a biologist, I am endlessly awed by the perfection and mystery of life. This is what drew me to my work and continues to inspire me to this day. Now I am also excited by working with my team, doing projects, and opportunities to create something useful.

What is one project you are currently most excited about?

These days, I am involved in turning our biology team into a separate department, developing a strategy, and attracting projects. This gives me and my team the energy to move forward. The results in every biological study are also a great motivation – they each feel like a small miracle.

Is there a scientific field or discovery out there that you think more people should know about?

I believe that more people need to know about the great things accomplished by people in our department. At the Laboratory for Bioactive Materials in Tissue Engineering, the team headed by Artur Prilepskii has created a platform for growing heart muscle tissue. A team of molecular biologists headed by Maria Rubel has developed diagnostic sensors that can help accurately prescribe antibiotics for tuberculosis patients. Oleg Kuchur and Sergey Tsymbal with their team of molecular oncologists have identified new cancer cell resistance mechanisms and ways to overcome them. Elena Nazarova’s team of bionanotechnologists is working on smart packaging for food that would indicate its quality. My microbiologists, headed by Alina Lokteva, have developed an antibacterial biohybrid material for regeneration, while Sophia Tsvetikova has described the mechanism of how gut microbiome influences cancer growth. Currently, Sophia is the head of microbiology at Novabiom, a company where our graduates developed a technology for studying the gut microbiome.

What would you say to young girls out there thinking of a career in science?

Don’t think too much: act and follow your scientific curiosity. I think that science is wonderfully interesting and a limitless source of inspiration in life.

Alexandra Falchevskaya 

junior researcher at ITMO’s ChemBio Cluster

How did you choose your career?

I made the decision to stay in science after completing my Specialist’s degree in chemistry. Back then, I was debating between finding a job and going for a Master’s degree. At the time, I’d already been working at a lab for 1.5 years and my supervisor really wanted me to stay, but he didn’t push me – and even arranged an interview at a company so that I could make up my mind.  After going to three such interviews, I understood that I wanted to do science. It wasn’t easy to make the choice, but once I did, it was a weight off my chest.

What do you love most about your work?

In science, you either create, hustle, worry, or find peace. This diversity is what keeps me going, as I am one of those people who finds it hard to sit still – that’s also why the work can sometimes feel hard for me. Luckily, I am engaged in many projects – my own or collaborations – so I can switch between them if I need a breather.

What would you say to young girls out there thinking of a career in science?

I don’t know what you are preparing for, but you are definitely already prepared for it.

Elena Ushakova

head of the Laboratory of Light-Emitting Carbon Quantum Nanostructures, engineer at the Center of Optical Information Technologies 

How did you become a scientist?

I’ve been inspired by research for a long while; even as a school student, I joined conferences with talks on biology and English. In the third year of my Bachelor’s studies, I started working on energy level calculations in lasers and later I came to work and study at ITMO’s International Research and Educational Center for Physics of Nanostructures. 

What do you love most about your work?

Throughout my entire scientific career, my main desire was to get into the nature of things, to understand their core. On a more global scale, I want to make the world a better place – in my case, by creating new materials for photonics, optoelectronics, and biomedicine.

Are there any traditions in your team for celebrating published papers or completed projects?

We don’t have any traditions in my team, but we support each other and go to all kinds of events outside work. I think that relations inside a team matter, as they can become your support and inspiration.

What would you say to young girls out there thinking of a career in science?

If you feel an inner drive to study this world – do it! You've got this!

Daria Gorbenko

PhD student and engineer at the ChemBio Cluster, head of ITMO Collab student contest

How did you become a scientist?

I could say that it kind of happened, because I was already doing research as a Bachelor’s student, I just didn’t realize it. I was working in a team, writing abstracts and papers, doing all the things you do as a scientist, surrounded by scientists – and I was like, oh, it seems like that’s what scientists do! I didn’t have any expectations; I’d say that for a while, finding my path in science felt like feeling my way in the dark. Later, when I wanted to change my field from physics to biology and I could do it, I realized that it isn’t everywhere that you can just leave one field and smoothly transition to another – but you can do it in science and it’s wonderful. 

I didn’t want others to feel like they’re in the dark, so now I teach a free course about scientific careers at the Traektoria charity foundation. And even though the path to science is clearer now with all the content available online, every year I see many students in my course – it seems like personal connections are still very important, too.

What do you love most about your work?

I love that I am constantly surrounded by young people with wild ideas. Science is when something in your head clicks and now you are designing experiments to see if you are a fool or not. I think that there is some funny lightness and honesty in this. Nothing is predetermined, there is no plan, and we are all collecting pebbles on the seashore. The more of us do it and the better we share our results, the faster we can make discoveries about ourselves and the world.

What is one project you are currently most excited about?

I love projects with funny names, which, luckily, there is an abundance of thanks to my supervisor Dmitry Kolpachikov. He comes up with names for the sensor systems we develop that sound like something from sci-fi, like the cephalopod platform for attracting oligonucleotides with tentacles. You feel really cool studying this day-to-day and work doesn’t feel like a routine. 

As the head of ITMO Collab, a contest of student interdisciplinary projects, I am also driven by interdisciplinarity, the inspiring pool of ideas at the intersection of fields. I believe that’s why it’s important to shift between different domains and look for new, original ideas.

What helps you recharge after a period of intense work?

Travelling. When I travel, I can truly unwind and switch from the object of my studies to the world around me, to the daily routine and some very basic things like trying to find the language that will help you buy water at the supermarket. These days, I even try not to plan my itinerary too much because this way I allow for more surprises. I once hitchhiked through Europe and that was when I understood how people are truly inclined to help and support each other and show empathy. This makes me believe in the good in the world.

What would you say to young girls out there thinking of a career in science?

To the girls (and boys), I’d say, “don’t think, do.” Do what you like, follow your curiosity, even if it is something “uncool” or not trendy. You never know what idea will become the next big thing, so just do it, just try. If you find something, anything, interesting, you owe it to the world and to yourself to follow and explore it.