The Pelotonia-Funded Researcher of the Year Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of a Pelotonia grant recipient. The award highlights the importance of career research funding and how support from the Pelotonia community is making a tangible difference in the work of researchers and the lives of patients.

About Maria 

Dr. Maria Milkova Mihaylova is being recognized for her outstanding achievements as a Pelotonia-funded researcher whose research focuses on understanding the effects of diet and aging on cellular metabolism. She has garnered many prestigious early career grants recently including the prominent Pew Scholar Award and a V Foundation Award, among others. Dr. Mihaylova has participated in Pelotonia since 2019 and she says she keeps coming back to show her gratitude for all the people who support scientists pursuing innovative research. 

  

What does this cause mean to you? 

Like many families, ours has also been affected by cancer. One of the reasons I wanted to go into cancer research was because of my grandmother, who passed away at an early age from metastatic breast cancer. She lived in a time and place where cutting-edge diagnostics and treatments were not an option. We have come such a long way and yet, there is so much more left to do. Organizations like Pelotonia allow researchers to think outside the box and do more innovative work that may not be funded by traditional mechanisms.   

 

What’s your favorite part of Ride Weekend? 

I will not forget my first experience with the Ride itself. As scientists, we are almost always behind the scenes, on the research bench and rarely interact with patients that our research may impact. It is amazing to experience an opportunity to do so! The togetherness, support and gratitude from survivors and their families during the ride weekend is both very moving and motivating to keep doing the work that we and our trainees do! 

  

What else would you like to share with the community? 

My family moved quite a bit when I was a kid and, as a result, I got to live on three different continents by the time I was a teenager. I think that gave me a good perspective on the ways of life across different cultures. I love that science brings so many people together from diverse backgrounds, which facilitates the exchange of ideas and the appreciation of different perspectives.