03.12.2025
As part of the Science Seekers project, Lomonosov Moscow State University PhD student Kiara Makievskaya explained how teamwork skills honed in a theatre studio helped her develop technologies to alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms and to create domestic neuroimplants.
At the 5th Congress of Young Scholars, the first event of the educational project Science Seekers was held with RSUH support. Kiara Makievskaya, junior researcher at the Laboratory for Invasive Neurointerface Development of the MSU Institute of Artificial Intelligence, participated in an open discussion where she shared her path into science and her professional story. The meeting was moderated by stand-up comedian Evgeny Chebatkov. Participants discussed why Kiara had chosen a scientific career, what helped her stay motivated, and which stereotypes about being a scientist she had encountered. Kiara explained that she had grown up in a family of lawyers, but her parents had always supported her interests and allowed her to choose her own professional path. From a young age she was fascinated by the natural sciences: biology and chemistry. At the same time, she was also drawn to the humanities: in school, Chiara was involved in theatre and literature. This experience later turned out to be unexpectedly helpful in her scientific work. Although as a teenager she dreamed of becoming a doctor, she eventually realized that practical medicine interested her less than scientific research, and she enrolled at MSU to study bioengineering and bioinformatics. Humanities skills she gained in school have repeatedly helped Chiara in her research. Today she works at the MSU’s Laboratory for Development of Invasive Neurointerfaces. Together with her colleagues, Kiara conducts experiments on white rats implanted with special chips. These high-tech devices provide interaction between the nervous system and external devices, such as computers. The technology can already dramatically improve the lives of people with paralysis and is used in treating disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Electrical stimulation relieves symptoms so effectively that a person can perform daily tasks independently. Kiara’s main scientific goal is to create Russia’s own domestic neuroimplants. The Science Seekers project is a joint initiative of the MIC Foundation, RSUH, and the company Innopraktika.
