
Elena Pobezinskaya is a faculty member in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and member of the Center for Bioactive Delivery and the Models to Medicine Center.
IALS: Hi Elena, thank you for speaking with us today. We have a few questions for you so everyone on campus can get to know you better. How long have you been at UMass Amherst?
EP: I have been at UMASS since 2014.
IALS: Where did you grow up?
EP: Moscow, Russia
IALS: Does the love of science run in your family?
EP: Yes and no. None of my parents are scientists, they are both engineers. But at the same time curiosity, which is prerequisite of science, was always around me when I was growing up. We also had plenty of books at home that I could use when I had a question. We could not "google" the answer at that time:)
IALS: How long have you been teaching?
EP: My first teaching experience was at Umass. I am actually not teaching as a part of my job. I give a few of lectures a year within a big course. I am mostly involved in research.
IALS: What is more stressful, grant proposals, research, or teaching?
EP: Definitely teaching. Even these couple of lectures are stressful. It is getting better now that I have done it a few times. But still it is hard to deliver the information in a comprehensive and yet fun format, especially for those of us for whom English is not a native language.
IALS: Assuming your research is widely successful, how will it impact society?
EP: The immune system, which our lab studies, is incredibly powerful. Not only it protects us from viruses and bacteria, but it also fights cancer. Immune cells search for and eliminate tumor cells all the time, non-stop. Unfortunately, cancer can "outsmart" immune system in many ways. Our goal is to understand these mechanisms and find how we can help immune system unleash its full natural power against tumors. I hope that our research will bring knowledge that will be eventually used to develop new cancer immunotherapies.
IALS: Who do you admire and why?
EP: I would like to mention Mikhail Lomonosov. He was born in a small far north village in Russia in the family of a fisherman and education was not something that his father had planned for his son. However, his desire to study and his passion for science was so intense, that at the age of 20 Lomonosov ran away from home for Moscow. He made his way partially on foot and it took him 3 weeks to reach Moscow. He was brilliant in so many different fields of science including physics, chemistry, astronomy, history, philosophy to name only a few. Lomonosov is considered to be a "father" of Russian science. He is a founder of Moscow State University that bears his name and I am proud to be its graduate.
IALS: What are your interests when you are not a scientist?
EP: I enjoy reading very much. Also, I am passionate about mountains. In winter I love skiing. In summer I love hiking the mountains (our latest achievement is mount Washington).
IALS: Thank you so much Elena!