Daria Berdnikova

Dr. Daria Berdnikova serves as an EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow in the Department of Chemistry and Biology at the University of Siegen since October 2017, working under Prof. Dr. Heiko Ihmels in Organic Chemistry II. Her position stems from a sustained collaboration between the University of Siegen and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Her research focuses on photocontrollable interactions with nucleic acids, particularly developing light-switchable binders for therapeutically relevant RNA sequences like HIV RNA. This work bridges photochemistry, physical-organic chemistry, and bioorganic chemistry to address challenges in targeting RNA for viral infections, genetic diseases, and cancer treatment where design principles remain underdeveloped.

• DAAD Fellowship (2011): Enabled foundational collaboration in Siegen during her PhD
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (2017): Supports her independent project as principal investigator

She actively maintains a science blog (photorna-blog.blogspot.com) translating complex RNA/light interaction concepts for public understanding. Dr. Berdnikova plans to pursue habilitation at Siegen under Prof. Ihmels' mentorship, continuing her RNA photochemistry research within the established German-Russian partnership funded by DFG, RSF, DAAD, and EU programs.