'Physics Is What the World Is Literally Built On'

Physicist Nina Dzhanayeva, recipient of a Vladimir Potanin Foundation scholarship, focuses her research on nanophotonics. In this interview for the HSE Young Scientists project, she discusses nanowells, scientific intuition, and how physics can help in making frangipane cream puffs.

How I Started in Science

As a child, I was fond of science fiction—the works of Jules Verne, Alexander Belyaev, and Ray Bradbury. I was fascinated by how they created worlds filled with technological innovations that changed people’s lives. I wrote stories myself, and once I was even a prize winner in a competition that resulted in the publication of an almanac—a thick volume containing participants’ works. That volume is still at our home, much to my mother’s delight, though I would burn the book if I could.

As I grew older, I began reading articles online and listening to podcasts, and I realised that technology is not just imagined—it can actually be created. We can bring order to the uncertainty of the world, study it, and then use that knowledge to introduce something entirely new into our lives.

This realisation engulfed me. Mathematics, although I loved it deeply and still do, felt too abstract for this purpose. Biology was another option—it is fascinating, many members of my family are doctors, and I am currently conducting research in a biology laboratory. But when it comes to something truly fundamental, something on which the world is literally built, it has to be physics.

Physics, it seems to me, is more systematic than other sciences. That is why, on my own initiative, I first enrolled in the MEPhI Lyceum and later entered the HSE Faculty of Physics. HSE University has exceptionally strong faculty members, and classes are taught at joint departments with institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is also a multidisciplinary university, so if I want to work on a complex project, I can easily find enthusiastic collaborators from different fields.

Something Truly Beautiful (or, The Focus of My Research)

I chose the Joint Department with the Institute for Spectroscopy of the Russian Academy of Sciences because optics and photonics are my favourite fields of science. First, I find the underlying theory truly beautiful. Second, everything we see is possible only because of light—literally. That idea inspires me. In the laboratory where I work, we conduct biomedical research using what nature has given us for the benefit of humanity.

Specifically, I am developing a platform for detecting disease biomarkers at very low concentrations. Detecting biomarkers—molecules associated with a disease—is relatively straightforward at high concentrations. However, at low concentrations, various types of noise begin to interfere.

One could compare it to the noise in this room. By placing a soundproof barrier around me, you would be able to hear me much more clearly. We achieve a similar effect using specially designed nanostructures—zero-mode waveguides, which we often refer to as 'nanowells.'

The light inside them propagates in a specific way: it becomes confined to a small region within the nanowell and acts as a switch for the fluorescence of a molecule. This creates a chain: molecule—light—signal. DNA sequencing has already been performed in our laboratory using such devices. However, we went further and realised that such a device could not only detect which nucleotides enter the nanowells but also count them. And not only nucleotide molecules, but also a wide range of other targets—such as cancer-related and viral particles, as well as proteins. All of this is biologically complex, which is why we collaborate with specialists from partner institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Counting provides information about concentration. For example, five molecules may correspond to an early stage of cancer, while 500 molecules may indicate a more advanced stage. The lower the concentration we are able to detect, the earlier we can potentially help a patient. Similar approaches have been developed in the United States, but they are typically based on microwells, while we use nanowells, allowing us to significantly increase sensitivity by scaling up their number and arranging them in close proximity to one another.

Counting molecules, which is what I am currently working on, is not as easy as it might seem. For example, I need to analyse signal graphs to distinguish between cases where a molecule has actually passed through the system and random fluctuations. Sometimes it may just be a 'hot pixel,' and my task is to separate such 'mirages' from real events using specialised computer algorithms.

How I Handle Long Cycles Between Development and Outcome

Physics research has a very long feedback cycle. I understand this well, but by nature I always want to see the results of my work sooner. For example, while I was still at the lyceum, I carried out an independent project in the field of ecology. At the time, I was very interested in the idea of a circular economy, where all waste is fed back into production, resulting in zero waste and zero emissions. Together with my classmates, I received an accelerator award for developing a prototype device that recycles plastic bottles into 3D-printing filament.

Later, at university, I worked on another small eco-startup. We created a system of interaction between businesses and consumers based on offering discounts in exchange for environmentally friendly actions. We began with university cafés, where customers could exchange points for drinks, and quickly found partners across Moscow. Now I conduct experiments in the laboratory, where results often take long to obtain and are not immediately tangible. However, when I finally do get a result, it gives me an incredible sense of drive and motivation to move forward, because I know that all these small steps will eventually add up to something much larger.

A Project as Your Brainchild

For a physicist, it is especially important to feel a strong sense of ownership over your project. When a student is assigned a project in the laboratory, they need to understand that it is now their own brainchild and it is in their best interest to move it forward independently, without waiting for a supervisor’s intervention. I am actively working to develop this skill, and I am already applying it successfully.

What the Potanin Foundation Scholarship Means to Me

It is a great honour for me to have received this scholarship. To win it, I had to go through multiple selection stages, both online and in person: writing motivational essays, preparing a portfolio, solving intellectual problems, participating in debates, and demonstrating leadership skills. It was a highly engaging experience. But even more importantly, during this time I met many interesting people who energise and inspire me, and who I want to be like. Within the scholarship community, we discuss topics that matter to us, exchange ideas, and find collaborators for our projects. For me, this kind of communication is one of the key factors that makes a scientific career so appealing.

Who I Would Like to Meet

Richard Feynman. He was an American physicist and Nobel laureate, known even among humanities scholars for his discoveries in theoretical physics and for his books. He is particularly well known for his collection of autobiographical essays, Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! A distinctive feature of his personality was that he never took anything for granted and always tried to get to the bottom of things, even outside physics. For example, he conducted experiments on ants in his bathroom (as described in the book).

I think of this as the highest level of awareness—trying to experience and verify everything, to understand yourself and the world around you. I wonder how he knew that he had reached a final conclusion rather than an intermediate result or a mistaken interpretation. Perhaps a certain scientific intuition helped him. In general, I believe intuition is the accumulated experience that allows my academic supervisors to understand instantly what lies behind a given effect. In our laboratory, I often encounter phenomena that are difficult for me, as a student, to interpret, while the professor immediately grasps the essence of the problem. And indeed, when we check, the professor's hypothesis is usually confirmed.

A Typical Day for Me

My studies and work are currently based in Troitsk. The commute from home to the institute takes about an hour and a half. I try to make the most of this time: I bring my laptop and use it to work on problems, draft and edit articles, and analyse data. During short transfers, when I don’t have time to take out my laptop, I study English vocabulary instead.

I always plan my week so that I can dedicate one full day to experiments. Experiments are inherently unpredictable—many issues arise, and each one needs to be addressed. We often have to make difficult, non-obvious decisions. This takes time, and on such days I can get home at any hour—sometimes at six, sometimes at eight, but most often, considering the commute, around ten in the evening. On other days, I come in the morning for classes and then go to the office to work on my tasks. It is convenient when work and study are in the same building. I also appreciate that a researcher’s schedule is generally flexible. For example, when I take part in case championships or conferences, I can always take days off work.

Whether I Have Experienced Burnout

I have been a very energetic person since childhood. I enjoy being actively engaged in everything around me and shape my environment accordingly. When I notice that either I am slowing down or my environment is becoming less dynamic, I understand that something is likely off, and I try to step back and reset. In most cases, simply getting enough sleep is all it takes. Spending time with family also helps. I am Ossetian on my father’s side. We Ossetians have very strong family ties, and I can rely on the support of my loved ones in any situation.

What I Have Been Reading and Watching Lately

While most of my current reading is specialised literature, one of the recent books I have read is Emotional Intelligence. At some point, I realised that a person is significantly constrained by negative emotions such as sadness, fear, and others. This book helps develop the ability to manage these emotions and to distinguish between your body’s interpretation of external stimuli and the actual facts.

As for films, I often rewatch Dead Poets Society and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a film about a man who travels and rediscovers himself. I love this film, and just like its protagonist, I believe that everyone needs to understand who they are and why they do what they do—to be not a gear in a mechanism, but the driving force.

My Interests Besides Science

Cooking helps me reset. Of course, I can bake traditional Ossetian pies, but I prefer making French desserts. Most often, I make choux pastries with frangipane cream and cherry jam, which my family enjoys. By the way, physics also helps develop intuition. After working in the laboratory, I have become better at sensing dough and the texture of various ingredients through touch.

Advice for Aspiring Scientists

Pay attention to the people who surround you, because you will become like them. It may sound like a minor life hack, but I truly believe it is important not only to pursue what interests you, but also to consider the environment in which you will grow. I initially joined the laboratory to work in nanoplasmonics, and I am now engaged in nanophotonics. The topic is slightly different, but the people remain the same—and they are truly wonderful.

Actually, one of the advantages we have in life is the ability to recalibrate it step by step. It is similar to a zeroth-order approximation. In physics, there is a common way to approach complex problems: when you cannot solve them exactly, you start with an approximation. You begin with a zeroth-order approximation and then refine it—first-order, second-order, and so on. In the same way, I believe a person can gradually refine and shape their life step by step.

My Favourite Place in Ossetia

I was born and have lived in Moscow all my life, but every summer, I travel to Vladikavkaz, where I have relatives. As you may know, Ossetians do not share a surname if they are not related; all Dzhanaevs are my relatives, and there are quite a few of them. Every summer, all of my relatives come together to attend Dzuar Bærægbon, the celebration of our family saints. We bake pies and bring them as offerings to the mountains, where our ancestral shrine, the kuwandon, is located. You have to reach it on foot, carrying the pies and consecrating them there. In my view, this is one of the most picturesque and memorable places imaginable. In Vladikavkaz, I also love Khetagurov Park, where I can spend an entire day watching swans and fish and the mountains in the distance.

My Favourite Place in Moscow

I love all of Moscow, especially in May, and especially the fragrance of linden trees after the rain. I enjoy looking at the Presnenskaya Embankment, when flowerpots are hung along it and river trams run on the water. As someone who is inspired by technology, I find this particularly exciting. I hope the city becomes even more beautiful and technologically advanced each year, and that one day items from science fiction films—such as flying cars and other visions of the future—will appear in the sky.