2017 OSA Ambassador Dr. Mariia Pashchenko is a postdoctoral research in the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences from November 2016.

She received a master of science in Physics with honor in 2006 in Karazin’s Kharkiv National University, Ukraine. And reached doctorate degree in 2015 in Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering of National Academy of Science of Ukraine. Almost 10 years she worked at the edge between optics and magnetism. Her research has been awarded by special Scholarships for Young scientists from National Academy of Science of Ukraine and from President of Ukraine. Nowadays her research activities devoted to the spectroscopy of nanomaterials.

She is an active member of OSA from 2007. She also was the main organizer of Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics OSA Student Chapter in Kharkiv, Ukraine (2007). During the 9 years held the position of different chapter officers. From 2013 to 2015 held the position of President of IRE OSA Student chapter. She was the initiator running the session of “Optics, Photonics and Spectroscopy” and Best report contest in frame of it at the annual International Conference of Young Scientists – Low Temperature Physics which is held in Institute for Low temperature Physics, Kharkiv, Ukraine. She also launched the series of Career Development Workshops for Young Scientists in Round table format in frame of different conferences and special projects and activities in Kharkiv devoted to: International Day of Science, International Day of Photonics, International Year of Light, and celebration of OSA 100 Anniversary