Dr. Garber is chief of the Laboratory for Structural Studies of the Translational Apparatus at the Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region. She received a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the Institute of Protein Research, and, in 1996, she received a D.Sc. from Moscow Lomonosov University. She has done postdoctoral work and undergone other research training in Hungary, Poland, Sweden, France, and Japan. In 1999 she was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Lund in Sweden for her contribution to Russian-Swedish collaboration in the field of structural studies of the protein synthesis machinery components. In 2000 she received the State Stipendium for Outstanding Russian Scientists. In 2003 she received the honor, Head of an Outstanding Scientific School, presented by the president of the Russian Federation, for her work in training students. Dr. Garber first received an HHMI International Research Scholar award in 1995. This is her third HHMI grant.

Maria Garber and her team use the methods of x-ray crystallography and molecular biology to determine the structures of RNA-protein complexes involved in translation and regulation of gene expression. Using structural data, they try to understand the principles underlying macromolecular recognition, with reference to that of RNA and protein.