Maria Konovalenko

Maria Konovalenko is the Associate Director of Corporate Development at SonoThera, a biotechnology research organization developing ultrasound-guided nonviral genetic therapies. Previously, Konovalenko served as the Scientist in Residence at Formic Ventures, a diversified venture capital firm that makes early-stage investments in biotechnology startups focused on human longevity, technology startups, and companies that make human lives more meaningful. Konovalenko obtained her PhD in the biology of aging in a joint program between the University of Southern California and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Her research focused on the aging of stem cells in respiratory epithelium and the overlap between mTOR signaling and cellular senescence.

Konovalenko has been involved in fighting aging since 2008. She is one of the organizers of the Genetics of Aging and Longevity Conference series. From 2008 to 2016, she was part of the team at the Science for Life Extension Foundation, a Moscow-based non-profit, and has raised funding for longevity and regenerative medicine research from both government and private sources.

Konovalenko's background is in molecular biophysics, she got both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Konovalenko's goal is to make people live as long and as healthy as possible using the advances of science and technology.