YEREVAN, APRIL 6, ARMENPRESS. Scientist Anna Poladyan, who embarked on her career over 3 decades ago, after having worked as a senior lab worker in the Department of Biophysics of the Faculty of Biology at Yerevan State University, is currently the Head of the Chair of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, having also received her doctorate degree. Anna made up her mind to become a scientist in early childhood, with her orientalist father and his academic friends as role models. Later on, Anna’s scientific supervisor played a crucial role in the formation of her interests.

Why and how did you decide to become a scientist?

My father’s influence is immeasurable behind my resolution to become a scientist. He is a scientist-diplomat, who worked in the Institute of Oriental Studies in the National Academy of  Sciences of the Republic of Armenia up to 1996, Doctor of Historical Sciences. The academic atmosphere has always been in the air, it runs in the family. I’ve witnessed his research activity since early childhood, saw him write research articles night, and always looked up to him. The only difference was that I was into natural sciences, so I opted for biology as a career path. Throughout my university studies, professor Armen Trchunyan, my scientific supervisor, contributed to my budding as a scientist. He was a world-renowned scientist, who taught us not only professional skills but also how to be idea-oriented and to go for it. 

How would you describe a scientist?

A scientist is a curious person, led by an urge to explore the new. The outcome of scientific activity is a creation of new knowledge. As regards biology, work is not only mental, but it also requires manual skills, thus theory and practice are completely intermingled here, which makes the work more riveting.

What motivates you to get up in the mornings?

Each of us goes to bed and gets up with plans for the next day. Apparently, I get up to accomplish my plans for the day. Broadly speaking, we need to be pleased with whatever we have once the sun rises, thank for the day and strive for more.

What is the discovery which impressed you the most?

My research interests are within the scope of bacteriology and biochemistry, and what impressed me the most is that bacteria, though unicellular organisms, live social lives. They have a plethora of mechanisms to counteract and adjust to changing environmental conditions, which might be exemplary for humans as well.

Have you got any other role models among scientists, apart from your father and the scientific supervisor you mentioned?

English scientist Peter Mitchell pioneered the chemiosmotic hypothesis on mechanisms of energy synthesis in living organisms; it took him 17 years to be awarded the Nobel Prize for this discovery. John E. Walker and Paul D. Boyer, English and American scientists, who discovered the mechanism of a biological molecular machine, an amazing nano machine. For instance, the nano machine can also function in bacterial membrane. The word machine itself implies that the mechanism operates on a stator-rotor (static and rotating) basis, typical of all machines which synthesize ATP, adenosine triphosphate (energy-carrying molecule found in the cells of all living things/ editorial).

There are also other scientists in the field whose activity I follow. One of such is Garabed Antranikian, Director of the Center for Biocatalysts at Hamburg University of Technology in Germany, as well as Russian scientist Vladimir Skulachev.

What would you tell a child wanting to become a scientist?

A child is an inborn researcher- they get to know the world by exploring and analyzing it since early childhood. At a certain point, their vein of research might be negatively affected, once we set boundaries and put limitations on them. I’d like them to stay curious, to never give up on exploring the new, to pursue solutions to their concerns.  What’s more, a child needs to know they’re smart enough and that adults have been waiting for their new ideas.

Can you recall any turning point on your way to becoming a scientist?

The opportunities, especially in our field, used to be extremely limited back in the years when I entered university and then started work in the same faculty. There were the ideas needed, and the research team did their best, but as research in natural sciences is costly, financial means were not sufficient. It was in the year 2013, over 19 years ago, that I was sent to Virginia University, US, on a business trip. My first impression was an immense surprise - I had seen all that in Hollywood movies and I seemed to live in a movie. The equipment they had, the abundance of materials, student life - everything was completely different. It served as an impetus for me to view my career path differently. Four years ago, when I was working at Berlin Technical University in Germany, I didn’t experience such a huge shock as our laboratory is quite close to the German one, we’ve made a lot of progress over the last few years. Soviet science was quite advanced but the dark and cold period and the war greatly hindered the development of science in Armenia. The reason I highlight professor Trchunyan’s role is that he frequently worked in advanced scientific groups of foreign universities, and he was the one to link us to contemporary science. It is thanks to him that our studies constitute part of the world science.

Could you also elaborate on your participation in the ADVANCE grant program and how important is it for a scientist?

There are quite a lot of grants in the field, including the one by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, RA. The format of this particular program by FAST (Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology) is a bit different as it brings together scientists from diverse fields. We don’t like cooperation much in Armenia, it’s early days. ADVANCE can be considered a stepping stone in this regard. Scientists started to cooperate within the framework of this program, which facilitates our research activity a lot. Why make an extra effort to figure out something easy for a chemist if provided with the necessary sample, while another specialist will conduct biological processing. As a result, with joint efforts and implementation of each scientist’s narrow specialization, the research project benefits. I’d like to highlight our scientific supervisor Garabed Antranikian, who is involved in advanced research in Germany, introducing innovative ideas and linking our local and foreign scientific groups. Our research project is concerned with the field of biotechnologies. We’re studying how to recycle organic waste available in Armenia and produce bacterial biomass and other useful materials. 

What are practical applications as a result of this project?

Having obtained knowledge on how various biochemical processes occur in unicellular and multicellular organisms, starting from the synthesis of various substances and their control, can be applied in the creation of biotechnologies. Over time I’ve come to realize that nature has created everything, humans simply assimilate those mechanisms and apply them in their day-to-day life. Bacteria help purify wastewater and organic waste and synthesize useful ferments, substances used to get, for instance, food products or alternative energy. These days replacement of animal protein and production of alternative food are cutting-edge directions, possible to realize with the help of bacteria. Bacteria are grown on waste, then protein food products, such as milk or meat, or biofuel are generated, since food isn’t available in different parts of the world these days already, and the available resources are going to get exhausted sooner or later. Also, it is possible to get ecologically sustainable fertilizers and fertilize the soil in a biological way.  Production of bioplastic, which quickly decomposes in the soil, drastically reducing pollution, is also possible through bacterial waste recycling.

How do you envision your career peak?

Every scientist with their research team works on fundamental research, which is indeed perpetual. As a culmination of this all, I’d love to see the implementation of the scientific outcome we create, so that it turns into technology or any other product which might change people’s lives for the better.  

Previous interviews of the "10 questions to scientist" series are below:

Science excelled all jobs because it is perspective: Sargis Aghayan

The easiest way to change the world is to do science: Sona Hunanyan