Alyona (Olena) Yedelkina is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Antonio Benedetto’s NanoBioPhysics lab at University College Dublin, Ireland. Her research explores the interactions between ionic liquids (ILs) and cell membranes using atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering, and other biophysical techniques.
Working with synthetic lipid bilayers of varying complexity, she investigates how ILs influence membrane properties. Through AFM, she examines structural changes and mechanical responses to better understand IL effects at the nanoscale. Collaborating with her research group, she aims to correlate IL-induced changes in cell metabolism and mechanics with the mechanical and structural data obtained from membranes. Alyona hopes her research will lead to a better understanding of cell membrane biophysics and pave the way for IL applications in nanotechnology and medicine.
Alyona (Olena) Yedelkina
Biography: Alyona’s journey into biophysics began in 2019 in Slovakia, where she earned a degree in Biophysics at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University and conducted research on protein molecular properties and interactions at the Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences in Košice. During this time, she gained experience with a variety of biological assays and biophysical techniques, studying enzyme activity, stability, and aggregation under different physical conditions. In 2022, Alyona moved to Dublin to join Dr. Antonio Benedetto’s research group at University College Dublin. Since starting her Ph.D., her focus has shifted to the biophysics of cellular membranes, with atomic force microscopy (AFM) becoming her primary technique. She now uses AFM, along with neutron scattering and other biophysical approaches, to investigate the interactions between ionic liquids and biological membranes.
X: @AYedelkina
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyona-yedelkina-147b92328/
Are you a woman conducting AFM research or know of someone you would like to nominate to be featured in our next #WomenInAFM campaign? Contact us at community@nunano.com!