Olga Smirnova (scientist)

In 2009, Smirnova moved to the Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy, Berlin, where she launched her own research group studying ultrafast photonics. In particular, Smrinova is interested in imaging the structures and dynamics of molecular assemblies. The movement of electrons that occurs during chemical reactions happens at the attosecond time-scale. The ultrafast measurements performed by Smirnovoa make use of strong infrared fields to liberate electrons from molecules. Smrinova then images the motion of these electrons via their recollsion. Recollision describes the movement of these oscillating, liberated electrons back to their parent ions, resulting in elastic and inelastic scattering (i.e. diffraction imaging) as well as radiative recombination (i.e. the emission of XUV light). Smirnova was promoted to full Professor at Technical University of Berlin in 2016.

Smirnova was born in Moscow. She started her undergraduate career studying physics at the Moscow State University. After earning her doctorate in 2000, Smirnova became an assistant professor at the Moscow State University, and interested in attosecond physics. In 2003 she moved to the Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien) as a Lise Meitner Fellow. After two years in Vienna, Smirnova joined the theoretical group at the National Research Council Canada in the Steacie Institute for Molecular Science. In 2006 she was made a permanent member of staff at the Steacie Institute.