I became a scientist, so to speak, by birth: my father was a physicist and my mother was a biologist. After graduating from the Second School of Physics and Mathematics, I chose chemistry for some reason. Surprisingly, I do not consider my field of research to be the most important. I am deeply convinced that science is currently gravitating more and more toward interdisciplinarity. I cannot imagine modern chemistry without biology, physiology, and materials science. We are returning to the days of the “alchemists,” only at a qualitatively new level. Development is proceeding in a spiral. Breakthrough achievements are now only possible at the intersection of disciplines, for example, in molecular biology or medical chemistry.

I would recommend that novice scientists get involved in molecular biology. Creating new biologically active compounds and studying their properties is also interesting, but it is difficult to break through in this field, as a lot of energy is spent fighting “pharmacological windmills.”

An essential quality for science is the ability to work in a team; it is almost impossible to achieve recognition on your own. A good scientific supervisor is a godsend, so hold on to them. It is worth going abroad to work. Having completed post-doctoral fellowships at the Open University (1999–2000, 2005, 2010, UK), I can say with confidence that it is a tremendous experience and source of knowledge. Should you stay there forever or return? It depends on the individual, because science is international.