Anticipating a reward can be a powerful motivator. Yulia Shatalov would attest to this after sprinting across the finish line to rousing cheers in Seneca Lake, New York, this past summer. The University of Richmond senior had just completed the Musselman, a grueling half Ironman triathlon competition comprising a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13-mile run. Her time of 5:21:36 qualified her to compete in the Ironman World Championship triathlon in Marbella, Spain, in 2025.

The Cheshire, Connecticut, native sees parallels between training as a triathlete and applying herself in her leadership studies and biology majors. Both require discipline and persistence to reach an anticipated goal, whether it be qualifying to compete in a triathlon or qualifying for admission to a graduate neuroscience program.

“When things get challenging in my research or my studies,” she said. “I remember that if I can do a crazy, difficult triathlon, then I can work through whatever problem I am facing.”

Shatalov has worked in professor Kelly Lambert’s neuroscience and psychology lab, including on the Unpredictable Positive Experience Responses project, for about three years.

“The overarching goal of the project is to see how positive experiences, specifically the introduction of anticipation, impacts motivation behaviors,” said the aspiring neuroscientist.

In her honors thesis, she examines the responses of three groups of rats. The first group received an anticipatory cue about a forthcoming Froot Loops treat. Another group got Froot Loops treats at the same time daily without first getting a cue. A third group got neither a cue nor a treat. Rats in the first group learned to associate the anticipatory cue with a reward.

While she has learned technical research skills in biology and neuroscience labs, Shatalov said her leadership studies classes have taught her complementary soft skills.

“I chose the leadership major because I want to be a researcher who advocates for people. My leadership classes teach me to view research in an inclusive light, to take cultural, racial, and gender differences into account.”

This semester, the daughter of Russian immigrants is conducting an independent study with leadership studies professor Christopher von Rueden serving as her faculty mentor.

“Using an existing subjective well-being scale, I will survey Richmond students to determine how status affects well-being, and what effect, if any, gender has on well-being.”

Eventually, Shatalov said she wants to lead her own lab to develop therapies for use in clinical settings.

“I want the opportunity to interact with patients to get their perspective on what needs solving,” she said.

She had the opportunity to do that this summer when she received a Burrus fellowship from the Jepson School of Leadership Studies to complete a credit-bearing internship with Health Brigade, a Richmond-based free medical and mental health clinic.

“The internship gave me a first look at what it’s like to be in a primary care setting,” she said. “I learned everything from the patient intake process to what happens during an appointment and in the follow-up. It confirmed my desire to work in medicine.”

Shatalov said she also learned the importance of empathy in practicing medicine, recounting a poignant moment. “A patient was having a difficult time and reached out and held my hand. That made me understand that the role of a doctor is about more than treating a disease. It’s about helping guide a person through whatever their reality is, to be a point of knowledge and comfort.”

In her remaining time at Richmond, Shatalov said she will focus on her long-term goals to excel as a triathlete and future doctor and neuroscience researcher.