UNN Professor Maria Vedunova featured at the SPIEF Science in Faces exhibition
Professor Maria Vedunova, Director of the UNN Institute of Biology and Biomedicine, became a participant in the Science in Faces exhibition, which opened as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The project features Russia's leading scientists, winners of presidential and government prizes, winners of Russian Science Foundation competitions, and those who took part in meetings with the head of state. The project is being implemented as part of the Decade of Science and Technology, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"People should know who is doing science in Russia, who is working at the forefront of research, solving complex problems, and changing the future. Behind every breakthrough is a living person with ideas, passion and faith. We need to talk about it. We need to see scientists not as abstract professionals, but as people who choose the path of search and truth every day. Science is the movement of the soul and mind. These words can be fully attributed to Maria Vedunova," said Oleg Trofimov, Rector of Lobachevsky University.
As a neuroscientist and an expert in the field of ageing, Maria Vedunova heads the research project on cognitive longevity "GTO-M", which was presented to the President of the Russian Federation in 2024. Under her leadership, the field of biomedicine and medical education at the university is actively developing, including staff training in such promising areas as medical biophysics, genetics and bioinformatics. She has more than 180 scientific publications and 22 patents to her credit.
"When science gets closer to people, something amazing happens: it stops being just research articles in journals, and turns into stories that change lives. Science in Faces is a chance to show that behind every discovery there is a person with passion and perseverance. And if my example helps someone take the first step into science, I will consider it one of my most important victories," said Maria Vedunova.
The project participants represent 14 regions of Russia: Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Murmansk, Tyumen regions, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Republic of Dagestan, the federal territory of Sirius, etc. Among them are leading scientists in the fields of medicine, neurotechnology, climatology, AI and Arctic design.
"It is not the first year that Nizhny Novgorod scientists have been part of the Science in Faces project, and this is especially pleasant, because not all regions are participating in it. This is a sign of recognition of those strong scientific schools that operate in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Each hero has a real team, ideas, inspiration and a lot of hard work that helps Russia move forward in the most important areas," said Ekaterina Solntseva, Deputy Chairperson of the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod region.
The exhibition will be showcased in public venues in Moscow and at federal universities across the country. It will culminate with the 5th Congress of Young Scientists at the Sirius University, which will take place from November 26 to 28, 2025.
The Science in Faces project is being implemented with the financial assistance of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, as part of the Decade of Science and Technology, and is a part of the Science Next initiative.
