Mariia Nesterkina studied Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Odessa I.I. Mechnikov National University (Ukraine), where she graduated in 2014. She received her Ph.D. 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 Odessa National Polytechnic University (Ukraine).

In 2022, she joined the group of Prof. Anna Hirsch as a postdoctoral researcher at Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Department for Drug design and Optimization. Her research interests are focused on Bioorganic/Medicinal Chemistry as well as Pharmacology and Drug Delivery.

Mariia Nesterkina was awarded the Scholarships of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for young scientists (2016-2018) and Excellence Award from European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (2021). Currently, she is a reviewer at the following journals: Molecules, Pharmaceutics, Antibiotics, Membranes, Biomolecules, Pharmaceuticals, Metabolites, Molbank, Scientia Pharmaceutica (MDPI Publisher); Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (ACS, American Chemical Society); Natural Product Research, Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (Taylor & Francis) and Open Chemistry (De Gruyter).