Ukrainian scientists — biologist Tetyana Dumych, chemist Olga Kapush, and technologist Margarita Skyba — have become laureates of the L'Oréal–UNESCO Prize for Women in Science. They are discovering and changing the world with their research and proving that science is a space of bold ideas, beauty, and inspiration. They tell Ukrainian Vogue about the main breakthroughs — in science and life
Tetyana Dumych, Associate Professor at the Danylo Halytskyi Lviv National Medical University, Candidate of Biological Sciences
Researches nanoparticles as innovative delivery systems for anticancer therapy, studies the interaction of bacteria with cells, and seeks ways to overcome antibiotic resistance.
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Who or what inspires you outside the lab?
People are, first of all, my family. This is the foundation on which my career is built. It is the closeness to my family that helps me think about what I do. And, of course, my inquisitive students. I look at them and understand that science will live on.
What advice would you give yourself at the beginning of your career?
In my research, it was very useful to be on an internship in another country, gain experience and share my knowledge. In addition, I am taking an online course in bioethics at Loyola University Chicago (USA); I have already received a master's degree and am currently completing a doctoral program. Bioethics has become another stage in rethinking science — not just as a research process, but as an area of social, ethical and legal responsibility to man and society. Therefore, my advice is to leave your comfort zone, develop, gain new knowledge, expand your horizons and always understand why you are doing it.
What discovery made you fall in love with your field all over again?
Every discovery in biology is special and has an impact on people's lives. But for these discoveries to happen, a lot of experimental work is needed. I am fascinated by the process of studying cells – you either love it or you don't. When you block one receptor, the entire interaction of cells changes, and in the process you realize how much is still unknown even in such a small structure.
What in your wardrobe best reflects your personality as a scientist?
I love comfortable clothes with a classic cut. They should be restrained and comfortable so that I can do what I want. I love white shirts – they are associated with something clear, logical and perfect for me. I prefer high-quality natural fabrics: no matter what you wear on top – a white robe or a jacket – everything will be comfortable.
What moment in your life would you call your triumph?
My entire journey consists of such moments – thesis defense, publication, internship trip and, of course, the L'Oréal–UNESCO Prize, which honors women scientists. This is proof that Ukrainian science is developing despite difficult times. Not everyone who is engaged in science is always ready to be visible – it is a difficult internal path. But we have many talented young people and future stars of science.
Olga Kapush, Senior Research Fellow at the V. E. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, NAS of Ukraine (Kyiv), Candidate of Chemical Sciences
Studies physicochemical processes on the surface of solids, the formation of nanostructured materials, as well as adsorption phenomena.
Who or what inspires you outside the lab?
My family is a military man and two children. My youngest daughter was born at the beginning of Covid, and my husband and I, with whom I worked at the time, had no one to leave her with. So when she was four weeks old, we took her with us to the laboratory — as did our son. Next to my husband's office was an assembly hall, where my son learned to play the piano. Now, when the alarms and shelling continue, I'm taking my children with me again. There's one bonus to this: when I ask my neighbor to pick up my daughter from kindergarten because I'm doing an experiment, the child doesn't have any questions. She's known since childhood how important what I do is to me, and she supports me a lot. She says that when she grows up, she wants to become “like my mother, a chemist.”
What advice would you give yourself at the beginning of your career?
Defend your ideas and trust your intuition. Science is not a school curriculum, not knowledge that you have learned and reproduced. During research, it is important to record everything that happens: smell, color, consistency, sounds. If it doesn't work out, you need to change something and describe the process again. At some point, you get a feeling in which direction you need to move.
What discovery made you fall in love with your field all over again?
Bionic prostheses. We still haven't fully realized how many people have been maimed by war, both military and civilian. It is the semiconductors that my institute specializes in that make prostheses more comfortable. All the information is stored in servos and adjusts the position. When the brain gives a command to the missing hand to pick up something, the stump muscles contract, biosensors read these signals from the skin, transistors amplify them, microcontrollers process them and send a signal to the servo. As a result, the prosthesis helps open doors, pick up objects, and even fasten buttons. This is an opportunity to give people a full life.
What in your wardrobe best reflects your personality as a scientist?
I work a lot with mercaptans (artificial natural gas odorants), and they easily leach into my clothes. To preserve my wardrobe, I change into a surgical suit at work, put on clogs, and a white lab coat over it.
What moment in your life would you call your triumph?
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, I found myself in a small village in the Khmelnytskyi region. At that time, the water tower there broke down, and the parts needed for repairs could only be purchased in the occupied territories. Half of the village was left without water. My mother's well was blocked, and to get water, I needed a bucket with a bottom valve. They found it, but it had rusted. I remembered my thesis on steel corrosion and, thanks to the substances I managed to buy at the local store and pharmacy, restored the bucket. The entire street was able to use water.
Margarita Skyba, Professor, Ukrainian State University of Science and Technology (Dnipro), Doctor of Technical Sciences
Works on innovative methods in chemical technology and environmental safety, in particular processes for processing industrial waste and synthesizing new materials.
Who or what inspires you outside the lab?
I like forming teams for grants – finding a topic, creating a team, adjusting the process and getting a result. There is a certain excitement in this, and it gives me inspiration. Sometimes I ask myself: can you do even more? Grants are not just money, they are equipment that improves the technical base of the institute and the conditions in which my colleagues work. When you do something useful, it brings joy. But the most important source of inspiration is my family. My 10-year-old son asks: “Mom, if you are a professor, should I also become a professor?” I answer that he can be whoever he wants. He is infinitely proud of me – and it is extremely pleasant.
What advice would you give yourself at the beginning of your career?
Don't think it will get easier. I used to think: I'll finish my postgraduate studies – it will get easier, I'll write my candidate's thesis, my doctorate – and it will get easier. But this is an illusion. After reaching a new peak, you always want more. If you learn not to focus on difficulties, you can live a completely normal life. And even if it doesn't get easier, it will become more interesting, more exciting, more fun.
What discovery made you fall in love with your field all over again?
I work in chemical technology, where topics are often given to me by my supervisors, and all you have to do is love them. But I was lucky to have a supervisor who gave me the opportunity to choose. I decided to try one experiment — the extraction of gold nanoparticles by plasma-chemical method. I went to the laboratory and did the experiment without any detailed methodological calculations — as if I were cooking borscht, everything “by eye”. Imagine my surprise when everything worked out the first time. This experience resulted in a doctoral dissertation. Since then, I have changed three topics. I really like the fact that in my field I can always do something new. We are limited only by our knowledge and vision of science. And I fell in love with my work even more when I had a family — I realized that all this goes together perfectly.
What in your wardrobe best reflects your personality as a scientist?
I love jackets. They are a self-sufficient thing that shapes an image. I myself have always strived for self-sufficiency, so they are my perfect match. Many people cannot leave their academic supervisor or a certain school. But I always went where I wanted, applied to those programs that I found interesting. To feel comfortable in the scientific world, you need to have many “masculine” traits – perseverance, calculation, the ability to establish connections and delegate. I have all these qualities, so, fortunately, I do not have to play other people's roles.
What moment in your life would you call your triumph?
I always thought that as soon as I got another degree, I would feel this moment. But this feeling comes from completely different things – when I can make the right call, when I feel that my opinion has an impact at a meeting. Winning the L'Oréal–UNESCO project is also a triumph, because the work was seen and recognized. But from the beginning, science is not about money – it is important to do your own thing in life, then there will be both money and recognition.
Text: Anna Zolotaryova
Video: Yaw Hinne
Video Editor: Marina Shulikina
Photo: Stephan Lisowski
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