Mariya earned her BSc and MSc in Biophysics and Molecular Biology from Sofia University ”St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria. Later, Mariya graduated with a MPhil in Biologically Inspired Robotics from Cambridge University, UK and became a graduate researcher at Harvard University, USA. There, she continued exploring the amazing nature of the biological sciences and their intricate link to technology. After Harvard, Mariya came back to the UK for her PhD degree in Clinical Neuroscience at Imperial College London. At Imperial, Mariya worked with a great variety of neurological populations, while concentrating on the vestibular system. For her PhD studies, Mariya used Virtual Reality (VR), 3D body tracking and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to learn more about the perception of balance and spatial orientation under vestibular guidance in patients with central affections of the nervous system.
During her PhD studies, Mariya did an internship at Yale University, USA. Currently, Mariya is back to Yale, this time as a Postdoctoral Associate. She continues her work at the Neurocritical and Emergency Care Department and the MRRC, Yale School of Medicine, concentrating on hyperacute traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients.