Since I got my bachelor's degree in Biology, in Brazil, I was looking for a MSc program that could combine a high-profile line up of professors performing cutting-edge research and a program that could allow me to envision doing research in a startup/industrial environment. Well, no other place could better combine both worlds than Skoltech! The challenging curriculum, from which I could choose the most specific disciplines for my goals, clearly improved my knowledge and skills towards performing serious research and how to apply it for market purposes. I am grateful for world-class education I had access to in STEM field, for the business-related studies and for the remarkable experience I got from the Biotechnology program at Skoltech!

The best part of the Life Sciences MSc program is that you can learn everything on the fly! Literally. Before admission to Skoltech, I had some experience in the "wet" lab and no experience in bioinformatics. However, at Skoltech I had a privilege to choose subjects to study (from basic to advanced level), I mastered new methods in "wet" lab and plunged into bioinformatics data analysis. Life Sciences program offers a wide range of electives, a flexible schedule, lectures from world-class professors, excellent labs, cutting-edge research, various club activities, leadership & entrepreneurship. Telling the truth, for me the degree is not as important as the value of my work to society. I believe that everything I have learned has a practical application.

For me Skoltech Life Sciences Master program was a breakthrough to a real science. My background was in Biophysics, I didn't have an on-hand experience in molecular biology or biotechnology and the first months at the program were a deep dive into the area. I loved that at Skoltech you are not only given with an opportunity to study, but challenged with practical courses, individual projects, presentations. We learned to read the topnotch articles, understand the research methodology, find some disadvantages (if any) without the fear that we are the ones who didn't understood something. Skoltech conferences, seminars and lectures of the top specialists, academic mobility program – all that provides students with a chance to become a part of the scientific community. And the most telling fact revealing my gratitude and respect for Skoltech is that two years after graduation I came back for my PhD.