Mariia Nesterkina studied Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Odesa Mechnikov National University in Ukraine, graduating with distinction (Honor’s degree) in 2014. She received her PhD from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry (Kyiv, Ukraine) in 2017 and worked at the synthesis and pharmacological investigation of novel terpenoid derivatives with anticonvulsant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity. Since 2019, she is Associate Professor at Odesа Polytechnic National University (Ukraine).

In 2022, she joined the group of Prof. Anna Hirsch and Prof. Claus-Michael Lehr as a postdoctoral researcher at Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Department of Drug Design and Optimization; Department of Drug Delivery across Biological Barriers. Her research interests are focused on Bioorganic/Medicinal Chemistry as well as Drug Delivery.

Her own project entitled “Molecular mechanisms of transdermal penetration of novel terpenoid prodrugs with anti-infective activity” received financial support from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Saarbrücken, Germany, 2023–2025).

She works extensively on innovative drug delivery system for skin applications – thermotropic liquid crystals. The distinctive feature of aforementioned systems is their temperature-induced switchability of drug release by transition to the liquid crystal state, depending on the skin temperature.  

Since 2024, Nesterkina has been a habilitand at Saarland University in the area of Biopharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology.