2017 | Ph.D. in Chemistry, Saint Petersburg State University (SPSU), Saint Petersburg, Russia |
2016 | Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), Taipei, Taiwan |
2010 | Master of Science in Chemistry, Saint Petersburg State University (SPSU), Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Vanda received her Master degree, as well as Ph.D. in Chemistry from Saint Petersburg State University where she worked on the interfacial rheology of complex fluids containing oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and surfactants. After earning her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology in 2016 and in Chemistry in 2017, she moved to UMass Amherst to work as a postdoctoral researcher with Professors Paul Dubin and Igor Kaltashov on NIH sponsored project related to heparin interactions with therapeutically relevant proteins, approaching this problem from both physico-chemical and biological points of view. Separate from that, she was also involved in a project aimed to utilize the ability of oppositely charged proteins and colloids to form complex coacervates for purposes of protein purification, delivery, and deposition of actives, sponsored by a BASF grant.
In Fall 2018 Vanda joined the Perry Lab as a Postdoctoral Associate co-advised with Professor Jessica Schiffman. Vanda worked on the development of novel approach to regulate uptake and enhance rain fastness of solid fungicide active ingredients on leaf surface using in-situ complex coacervation. During the weekends Vanda enjoyed riding her bike up and down the hills of Pioneer Valley, exploring beautiful landscapes of New England. She is also an avid reader, Rachel Maddow fan, and a Hufflepuff.