Briefly, tell us about your background and experience up to this point?
I was born and raised in the city of Tomsk, Russia. I obtained my degree in Biology from Tomsk State University and completed a PhD in Genetics at the Research Institute for Medical Genetics in the same city. Afterward, I remained in Tomsk for a while, save for a year as a postdoc at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. In 2007 I moved to the UK, thanks to the Marie Curie Fellowship, to work at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics in Oxford.
Following the fellowship, I worked at Imperial College and the Royal Brompton Hospital before joining the Department of Twin Research at King's in 2015 as a Research Fellow. I stayed there until 2022 when I secured a Lecturer position at Queen Mary University of London. After two years at QMUL, I returned to the Department of Twin Research as a Lecturer in Genetic Epidemiology. My field of research is the genetics of complex human diseases.
What do you do with your time outside academia/work?
Read books, watch films, refurbish my house, and spend time with my family.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
Establish my research group and obtain grant funding.
Who inspires you most and why?
Gerald Durrell, a British zoologist and author, whose books influenced my career choice to become a biologist.
What is something positive that happened to you in the last year?
I rejoined the Department of Twin Research, a fascinating place to work where I truly feel that I belong.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I have several former students who have achieved high career positions, led their own research groups, and published outstanding papers. In a number of occasions, they told me that I inspired them and gave them a kick-start in their scientific careers. This makes me feel incredibly proud.
QUICK-FIRE:
Favourite season: Summer
Favourite book: The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
Favourite cuisine: Russian and Georgian
Film/TV recommendation: The Boys