I am a PhD candidate in the Physics Department at Boston University, and a member of H. Eugene Stanley's group. The main focus of my research is understanding the anomalous behavior of liquid water in bulk, nanoconfined, and biological environments. Water is the most common substance on Earth, it is a mysterious and complex liquid which displays more than 60 anomalies! I use a 2D coarse-grained model and 3D spherically symmetric potentials with two length scales to investigate the anomalous behavior of water, including liquid polymorphism. I have become proficient in numerical analysis, tessellation analysis, Monte-Carlo simulations of square lattice models, and Discrete Molecular Dynamics simulations of spherically symmetric ramp potentials.

I am also an educator and a scientist working in the Museum of Science since 2002. I educate the general public on the biological optical effects of thin-films, and how they are related to the current studies on photonic crystals and radiative properties of computer chips.

Curriculum Vitae

Personal

Dual Citizenship:  United States & Russia.
Languages:  English, Russian, French.

Area of specialty

Statistical Physics
Computational modeling
Computer simulations and analytic theories

Skills

UNIX/Linux, Mac OSX, Windows NT/XP,
VPython, C, Unix shell scripting, HTML,
Gnuplot, Mathematica, Photoshop, LaTeX,
Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics simulations,
Supercomputers: Carried out massive simulations on IBM BladeCenter Linux Cluster and multi-core SGI computer clusters.

Educational Background

(expected early 2012)	PhD in Physics	| Boston University

2006	MS in Chemistry, summa cum laude	| University of Massachusetts Boston

	Thesis: Structural Study of Copper(II) Complexes of Bis(1,4,7-triaza-cyclononane) Ligands with Polymethylene Bridging Groups.

2006	BS in Chemistry, summa cum laude	| University of Massachusetts Boston
2006	BS in Physics, summa cum laude	| University of Massachusetts Boston
2006	Biology Minor, summa cum laude	| University of Massachusetts Boston

Honors, Awards and Fellowships

2011	Provost Award, Science and
	Engineering poster competition	| Boston University
2006	University Honors	| University of Massachusetts Boston
2006	Departmental Honors in
	Physics and Chemistry	| University of Massachusetts Boston
2005	Ethel and Herman Rosansky
	Chemistry Scholarship	| University of Massachusetts Boston
2004	ACS award in Analytical Chemistry	| University of Massachusetts Boston
2004	Undergraduate Summer
	Research Fellowship	| Princeton University
2003	Litton Industries Merit Scholarship	| University of Massachusetts Boston
2003	Women Merit Scholarship	| University of Massachusetts Boston
2002−2006	Director's List for consistent
	summa cum laude performance	| University of Massachusetts Boston
2001−2006	Dean's list	| University of Massachusetts Boston

Professional Activities

2007−present	Research Assistant	| Boston University

	•  Wrote an efficient C code Monte Carlo simulations with Wolff cluster algorithm of the 2D coarse-grained model of water confined in a fixed matrix of particles to study liquid polyamorphism. The program allows to simulate more than 160,000 water molecules within 24 hours.
	•  Demonstrated the crucial effects of the structure of the confinement on liquid-liquid phase transition by using Discrete Molecular Dynamics simulations of the 3D spherically symmetric ramp potential model of water confined in a fixed matrix of particles.
	•  Reinforced the knowledge of the nature of the phase transitions in confined water by finite size scaling of the thermodynamic response functions and the 4th-order cumulants.

2004−present	Science Interpreter	| Museum of Science, Boston

	•  My mission: transforming America's relationship with science and technology by engaging visitors in subjects of biological optical effects of thin-film through interpretations and answering questions about butterflies.
	•   Assist in the training of volunteers and interns.
	•   Develop educational materials for the exhibit.
	•   Improve exhibit functionality and operation by solving technical problems.

2007−2008	Courses Instructor	| Museum of Science, Boston

	•   Helped the elementary school children to rediscover physics, chemistry and biology by observing live butterflies.

2006−2007	Teaching Fellow	| Boston University

	•  Led discussion sections and labs in conjunction with undergraduate courses.
	•  Explained difficult concepts and prepared engaging presentations.

2004−2006	Teaching Assistant and Lab instructor	| University of Massachusetts Boston

	•  Taught general and organic chemistry laboratories.
	•  Developed blackboard and presentation skills.

2003−2004	Medical Research Assistant	| Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston

	•  Investigated the benefits of Gelfilm Myringoplasty.
	•  Worked with patients' medical records and databases.
	•  Learned handling sensitive and confidential information.
	•  Acquired skills in developing productive working relationships in team environments.

Publications

	6 | E. G. Strekalova, J. Luo, H. E. Stanley, G. Franzese, S. V. Buldyrev, Nanoparticle confinement in anomalous liquids, Physical Review Letters (under review 2012), (arXiv:1107.1926)
	5 | E. G. Strekalova, M. G. Mazza, H. E. Stanley and G. Franzese, Hydrophobic nanoconfinement suppresses fluctuations in supercooled water, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 24, 064111 (2012), PDF
	4 | E. G. Strekalova, D. Corradini, M. G. Mazza, S. V. Buldyrev, P. Gallo, G. Franzese, and H. E. Stanley, Effect of Hydrophobic Environments on the Hypothesized Liquid-Liquid Critical Point of Water, Journal of Biological Physics, DOI: 10.1007/s10867-011-9241-9 (2011), PDF
	3 | E. G. Strekalova, M. G. Mazza, H. E. Stanley, and G. Franzese, Large Decrease of Fluctuations for Supercooled Water in Hydrophobic Nanoconfinement, Physical Review Letters 106, 145701 (2011), PDF
	2 | G. Franzese, A. Hernando-Martinez, P. Kumar, M. G. Mazza, K. Stokely, E. G. Strekalova, F. de los Santos, H. E. Stanley, Phase Transitions and Dynamics in Bulk and Interfacial Water, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 22, 284103 (2010), PDF
	1 | M. G. Mazza, K. Stokely, E. G. Strekalova, H. E. Stanley, and G. Franzese, Cluster Monte Carlo and numerical mean field analysis for the water liquid-liquid phase transition, Computer Physics Communications 180, 497−502 (2009), PDF

Talks and Presentations

	•	Talk at APS March Meeting 2012 |Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, MA (February 29, 2012)
	•	Colloquium speaker, Department of Physics | University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA (December 7, 2011)
	•	Poster at Perspectives and Challenges in Statistical Physics and Complex Systems for the Next Decade | Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, (November 10, 2011)
	•	Seminar speaker, Department of Physics | Boston University (October 19, 2011)
	•	Poster at Horizons in Emergence and Scaling | Boston University (March 18, 2011)
	•	Poster at Water & Aqueous Solutions Gordon Research Conference | Holderness, NH (August 10, 2010)
	•	Seminar speaker, Department of Chemistry | University of Massachusetts Boston (March 8, 2005)

Interests

	Tango,  Piano,  Scuba diving,  Skiing,  Travel,  Photography

Multicultural

	Studied in Russia (10 years), France (3 years)