Varvara Pokrovskaya earned a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in 2010. Her work on developing novel types of antibiotics was published in several peer-reviewed scientific journals including one book chapter and a patent. She has presented her work at regional and international conferences and received the Banin Foundation Prize for Excellence in Research and the "Hershel Rich" - Technion Award for Outstanding Innovative Projects with a commercial potential. As a graduate student, Varvara had the pleasure of teaching a variety of chemistry courses to undergraduate students.

After finishing her PhD studies, Varvara moved to Canada and joined Professor Mark Nitz’s group at the University of Toronto, where she continued her research in the field of Biological Chemistry, as a postdoctoral fellow.

In 2014, Varvara started working as a biological chemist at SP Nanobiotech in Hamilton, Ontario, participating in the design and synthesis of Smart DNA-based drug-delivery platforms.

Varvara joined the School of Applied Chemical and Environmental Sciences at Sheridan College in January 2016 as partial-load professor, and has taught a variety of courses. She has a passion for teaching and hopes to inspire students to love science.