Dr. Dobrovolskaia is the laboratory co-director, director of operations, and head of the Immunology Section at the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory. In her role as the director of operations, Dobrovolskaia leads NCL operations to provide preclinical nanoparticle characterization services to the nanotechnology research community, advance the translation of promising nanotechnology concepts from the bench to the clinic, and contribute to the education of the next generation of scientists in the field of preclinical development of nanotechnology-based products, activities emphasized in NCL's mission. She directs the performance of immunology, client relations, and administrative sections of the NCL. Closely integrated functioning of these sections plays a critical role in advancing NCL’s key strategic goals and in supporting the mission of the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research.
In her role as the head of the Immunology Section, Dobrovolskaia leads a team that conducts preclinical studies to monitor nanoparticles’ toxicity to the immune system, in vitro and in vivo, using a variety of immune function animal models.
Prior to joining the NCL, Dobrovolskaia was a research scientist in a good laboratory practice (GLP) laboratory at PPD Development, Inc. in Richmond, Virginia, where she was responsible for the design, development, and validation of bioanalytical ligand-binding assays to support pharmacokinetic and toxicity studies in a variety of drug development projects. She received her M.S. from the Kazan State University in Russia; a Ph.D. from the N.N. Blokhin Cancer Russian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow, Russia; and an M.B.A. from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. She has also been a member of the Project Management Institute and a certified Project Management Professional since 2016.
