‘The Fundamental Principle of Scientific Knowledge Is Honesty’

Daria Mazur has wanted to pursue science since she was 13 years old—ever since she discovered in the seventh grade that she was good at physics. In an interview for the HSE Young Scientists project, she spoke about her theoretical research on the electric double layer, speed reading, and the MGMT song ‘Little Dark Age.’

Why I Decided to Pursue Science

I was a very unpopular child at school—nobody really made friends with me, and I mostly kept to myself. So, when we started studying physics in the seventh grade and I realised I was good at it, it became my refuge. From the age of 13, I knew I wanted to do science, and only science. I have never once doubted that, and I have followed that path ever since.

It took me a long time to figure out which scientific field to focus on. I knew it would be in the technical sciences, but I was not sure which one. That is why I enrolled in Applied Mathematics—it offers a lot of freedom: you can go into development or into fundamental research.

In my third year, I met my academic supervisor, Yury Budkov, and since then I have been doing continuous research, specifically in the field of physical chemistry. It is a science that explains chemical phenomena using the principles of physics—in other words, physics and chemistry rolled into one.

What I Study

I study the electric double layer. This is a structure that forms at the interface between a metal and an electrolyte. It consists of a compact layer and a diffuse layer of ions. At first approximation, the double layer can be thought of as a flat capacitor with a capacitance C that stores energy by accumulating charge. The electric double layer is a key technology used in supercapacitors—modern energy storage devices.

Existing classical models of the double layer fail to take into account many physical factors, which limits their applicability to real-world physico-chemical systems+. Therefore, there is a need to develop new theoretical models that can accurately estimate, for example, the capacitance of the double layer, as it is quite difficult to measure this experimentally.

My First Research Project…

…happened in my third year. During my work placement, and then as part of my bachelor’s dissertation, we studied a porous carbon material known as CMK-3. We assessed its differential capacitance and elastic deformation, then compared our developed model with experimental results—and the match was quite good.

In my next project, for my master's thesis, we came up with a new model of the electric double layer. Previously, we had not accounted for the effect of the solvent—in our earlier model, the dielectric constant was fixed. This time, we used an explicit polar solvent: water. This meant we solved an equation for the dielectric constant, allowing it to vary with distance from the electrode.

We fitted experimental data on differential capacitance using our new model, which incorporated all the modern theoretical aspects of electric double layer theory—such as hydration radius, specific interactions, dielectric decrement, and excluded volume effects. Using the resulting parameters, we were able to predict differential capacitance at other concentrations.

We also discovered how specific interactions affect differential capacitance. These are either repulsive or attractive forces between a hydrated ion and water. We found that when these specific interactions shift from repulsion to attraction, the peak of the differential capacitance decreases. This result was obtained for the first time.

What Makes Me Proud

I am proud of my Bachelor’s and Master’s theses because they led to publications in scientific journals—Europhysics Letters and ChemPhysChem, respectively. In the second publication, which focused on modelling the electric double layer within the self-consistent field theory at the metal–electrolyte interface, I was listed as the first author for the first time in my scientific career.

I am deeply proud of myself—proud that despite all the trials and difficulties I have had to overcome, I have still held on to my passion for science and achieved results that are meaningful to me. I am very persistent.

Since I was 18, I have lived independently, and I had to work a lot throughout my undergraduate studies. The first two years were especially tough because I had to combine studying with difficult, low-paid jobs. It got a bit easier in my third year because of the pandemic—everything shut down, there were no jobs, but I was receiving a small salary. Also, in my third year, I earned my first money from science. That lifted my spirits. Plus, I no longer had to attend in-person classes: I studied entirely online until the end of my fourth year.

Now, I am on a combined Master’s–PhD track, and I receive a stipend. I also work as a research assistant at the MIEM Laboratory for Computational Physics and teach physics in the Bachelor’s programmes ‘Applied Mathematics’ and ‘Information Science and Computation Technology.’

My Dreams

I am not really a believer in dreams. To me, they seem like something unattainable and unrealistic—like riding a unicorn. I believe in setting goals and achieving them. That is how things have worked out for me in life. But if I had to pick a dream, here is a funny one: I would love for no scientist ever again to have to write reports according to GOST standards (a list of Russian state standards compulsory for all enterprises and organisations).

My Goals

To defend my PhD thesis.

I would really like to defend it in Physical Chemistry rather than in Applied Mathematics. That is what I am currently working towards—though it is not easy, because studying chemistry is very challenging. There is a huge amount of new material, especially in quantum chemistry and physical chemistry. But I try to keep learning all the time. For instance, I recently went to a quantum chemistry workshop in Veliky Novgorod, where I built my first molecules.

If I Hadn’t Become a Scientist

It is hard for me to imagine being anything other than a scientist. But if I had to choose, I would probably be a doctor. I really enjoy helping people, and I also enjoy chemistry. Or I might have become a chemical technologist—for example, in the pharmaceutical industry.

Scientists I Would Like to Meet

Marie Skłodowska-Curie. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first person in history to receive two Nobel Prizes—in Physics and in Chemistry. I would love to know the secret behind her work ethic. She had quite a difficult life, especially at the start of her career. I would like to understand how that shaped her, where her strength came from. I find her so inspiring that I visited her grave in Paris, and I always keep a book about her life on my shelf at home.

My Ordinary Day

I do not wake up very early—I take my dog for a walk first, then head to work. My workday usually lasts at least 10 hours. A big part of it is spent preparing for seminar classes. We also need to publish a paper soon, and the calculations for it take up a lot of time. We have to run them 10 to 15 times, checking every line of code—because if there is even one small mistake, the results might be unphysical or illogical.

Whether I Have Experienced Burnout

Yes, often—but I do not really do anything about it. I have too many commitments. Things have become a bit easier recently because I asked my academic supervisor for help—he has been letting me take some time off. Although, honestly, I do not really believe in rest. I believe you have to keep working—that is where life’s meaning lies.

Conference I Have Attended

I recently went to the Chinese city of Qingdao. I was planning just to present a poster, but I was invited to give an oral presentation instead. It was the first time I spoke publicly in English. I was so nervous my hands were visibly shaking. But it went well—after the talk, some Chinese colleagues came up and asked questions.

I also attended a small conference in Costa da Caparica, Portugal, hosted by a small scientific community. It was really warm and memorable. On the final evening, the organisers brought out a big cauldron, poured in moonshine, set it on fire, stirred it, and recited a spell to ward off witches, evil spirits, and simply for happiness. Then you drink a shot—and you are guaranteed a year of happiness.

My Interests Besides Science

Right now, I spend a lot of time studying theoretical chemistry. I am also taking a speed reading course. I read to a metronome and have already got faster—now I only need two glances per line. 

I am also learning French. So far, not very successfully—I speak with an accent and keep forgetting not to pronounce the endings. Again, it is tied to my dream of living and studying in Paris one day.

What I Have Been Reading Lately

It’s Me, Eddie by Eduard Limonov. I really like Limonov—because he is so controversial. I bought his book Taming the Tiger in Paris by chance. I often buy loads of books and do not get around to reading them because I do not have time. But Limonov gripped me straight away. I usually struggle to read a lot at once because I lose focus, but I devoured Taming the Tiger in two days. I liked the style so much that now I am reading a book on theoretical chemistry written in a similar style. The author is Denis Tikhonov, a fairly well-known scientist and founder of the Theoretical Chemistry group on VK. There is also a chat there for chemists, mostly quantum ones. I am in it—I read the articles my colleagues post, their discussions. I do not understand a thing, but I hope one day I will.

Advice for Aspiring Scientists

You need to find not just a supervisor, but a mentor—someone who can pass on not only their academic knowledge but also their values, life experience, and offer moral support. A lot depends on your supervisor: where you publish, what and how you do your research, which conferences you attend. Of course, you have to be determined too. For example, I found all the international conferences I have attended myself, applied for them, and paid the fees on my own.

Also, do not be afraid to promote yourself wherever you can. Do not be shy about seeking out scholarships, opportunities, conferences—anything that can help your academic career.

My Favourite Place in Moscow

The Vinyl World shop in Kitay-Gorod. I love vinyl and have a huge record collection. It is really varied—from Vivaldi to the girl band Ranetki. I love going to this shop and I rarely leave empty-handed. Everything I buy, I actually listen to—except for a special edition of Radiohead’s OK Computer, which I cannot bring myself to open.

Lately, I have been obsessed with Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine album and the band MGMT. They have a song called ‘Little Dark Age.’ It is a bit mainstream, but I still like it.