Vasilisa M. (IN A NUTSHELL)

Vasilisa is a junior at Yale University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Physics. An aspiring physicist aiming to obtain a PhD in the field, she finds great joy in the pursuit of discovery and is committed to sharing that excitement with her students. Whether her students need help reinforcing what they’ve learned in school or are eager to go beyond the classroom and explore future careers in physics, Vasilisa is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and passion for understanding how the universe works.

However, she teaches more than just physics and math. Vasilisa aims to impart far more important lessons about perseverance and resilience, encouraging her students to persist through even the most daunting challenges. For her, fostering self-confidence and the ability to tackle any problem from first principles is far more important than mastering or memorizing formulas. 

At Yale, Vasilisa is actively engaged in nuclear physics research, developing instrumentation for experimental dark matter searches, and has previously conducted astrophysics research, searching for supermassive black holes observed with the James Webb Space Telescope. This summer she is continuing a mix of nuclear physics & electrical engineering research at Stanford University’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. She has also contributed to research improving secure X-band radio communications at The National Institute of Standards and Technology, and tracked near-earth asteroids at the Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics.

In her free time, Vasilisa loves dancing, skiing, surfing, running, traveling, hiking, volunteering on farms, and spending time with friends and family.