Olga Chashchina received her Master’s Degree from the NSU Physics Department and then graduated from the École Polytechnique in France under a double degree program. She is currently working at the École Polytechnique Laboratory of Hydrodynamics under the guidance of Professor Abdul Barakat. Her research involves fundamental questions related to the development of cardiovascular diseases (such as atherosclerosis) and the creation of experimental models for testing endovascular implants. This research operates at the cross section of biology, mechanics and engineering.
Chaschina talked about the practical significance of her work,
Our Lab collaborates with the startup Sensome. Together, we develop electrical sensors to determine the type of cells these sensors contact. We think that sensors can make it possible for us to explore the spatial and temporal development of a multicellular culture in conditions when optical means are not possible, for example, when using such opaque liquids as blood.
L’Oréal-UNESCO Pour les Femmes et la Science is a prestigious award for women who are starting their careers. The goal is not only to support young scientists, but also to show that women can participate in scientific developments and achieve success in this field. Only 30 out of the 900 candidates for the award working in France received the honor.
École Polytechnique has been an NSU partner since 2003. The double degree program was conducted from 2005–2013 and this year the universities have signed a new agreement for a double degree program.