I have been at Reading since 1987; I started out as a Lab Technician and in the early '90s I got the opportunity to become a glassblower.
I'm the only glassblower on campus. I design, make, modify and repair scientific laboratory glassware for both teaching and research for the School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy and other University departments, as well as outside companies.
I am ethnically Russian, and I was born and grew up in Kazakhstan, which was one of the republics of Soviet Union before 1991. Since I was a teenager, I dreamed of becoming a scientist. I received my BSc and MSc degrees in chemistry from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, then I continued to do a PhD in the same institution, specialising in the chemistry of polymers. During my doctoral studies I was fortunate to receive funding that supported my 4-month internship at the Technical University of Lodz in Poland, where my research was related to biomedical application of polymers and biomaterials. This internship was an eye opener and substantially influenced my future research and teaching interests.
In 2002 I moved to the UK to work as a postdoctoral research assistant first at the University of Strathclyde, then in 2004 at the University of Manchester. I then joined the University of Reading in 2005 as a Lecturer of Pharmaceutics in the Department of Pharmacy and progressed my academic career to a full professorship in less than 10 years. Since the very beginning of my time at the University of Reading, I had a fantastic mentor who supported me with my development as an academic.
In 2009, after completing my master's degree in Italy, I secured a scholarship for international students and joined the University of Reading as a Meteorology PhD student. My research focuses on understanding tropical climate and its variability through the study of convection simulation and interactions with large-scale circulation.
The arrival of my daughter at the end of the second year of my PhD was a challenge. As a single mum, solely responsible for childcare, and with no family nearby, I needed to find a way to balance both motherhood and my studies. Professionally, it was quite disruptive, but the University was incredibly supportive.
I joined the University in 2006 as a Teaching Fellow, before becoming a lecturer. I have always liked the green environment at the University. Few people can boast that their law school looks out on a lake!
I teach the public law courses, a constitutional law module, administrative law and human rights. I also teach legal philosophy and a University-wide module called "Liberty" with input from classics, history and philosophy.
We are in the process of finalising our postgraduate taught courses for 2027/28 entry. In the meantime, you can view our 2026/27 courses.
