Anastasiya is a second-year PhD student and MJD researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. In 2023, Anastasiya completed her Master of Research under the supervision of A/Prof Angela Laird, during which she explored how polyglutamine expansion in the ataxin-3 protein may alter its function as a deubiquitinase enzyme (remover of ubiquitin). She is now continuing this work as a PhD student, with the hope that unravelling how polyglutamine expansion in ataxin-3 alters its deubiquitinase function, and how this contributes to MJD pathophysiology, will lead to identification of new treatment avenues for MJD. In addition to this, Anastasiya is interested in understanding the possible protective effects of wild-type ataxin-3 in MJD and other neurodegenerative diseases.