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My Biography

I was born on March 31, 1977 in Moscow, Russia. When I was three, my parents and I  moved to Korolev (untill 1999 it was called Kaliningrad). This town is situated on the north-eastern outskirts of Moscow and is a home of Russia's most famous rocket and spacecraft development center, major research institutions in space technology and control center of Russian space missions. You can read more about Russian Space Industry here and about its history here.

I have lived in Korolev for more than 18 years, went there to kindergarten and secondary school. During my school years I really enjoyed solving problems in math and computer science and constantly took part in different Olympiads.

At the age of 13 I have transferred to a special school, which specialized in physics and math. Four years which I have spent there were the best years in my school life.

After finishing High School in 1994, I have entered Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), the best and the most famous technical school in Russia.

I have been studying at the Department of General and Applied Physics for six years. One of which I have spent at the University of Minnesota, Physics Department. In 1999 I have successfully got Bachelor Degree and in 2000 Master Degree with Honors. One of the most outstanding features of MIPT is the student community, members of which you can now find all over the world.

In winter 1999/2000 I took numerous exams and applied to Biology and Biophysics Departments at different universities in the US. I have got admitted to Caltech, Princeton and MIT. For many different reasons I have chosen to study at Caltech (which is a really nice small and very academic institute, though Los Angeles is definitely not one of my favorite cities). In June 2001 got M.S. in Biology.  

Right before getting my degree another important event took part. I have got married on June, 8th at Bogorodski ZAGs and at Novodevichi Monastery in Moscow. My husband's name is Valentin and he is also an alumni of FOPF, MIPT.

In October of 2001 my husband and I have moved to San Diego. Valentin is a student at Caltech (Physics Department), but his primary advisor works at UCSD. San Diego is a nice city and I am happy to be away from LA smogs.