March, the time of warm spring and blossoming flowers, where everything welcomes the season anew.
At the ripe age of 92, with four marriages behind him, Rupert Murdoch is about to embark on his fifth "spring" in life. Recently, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch announced his engagement to 67-year-old molecular biologist Elena Zhukova. This news has certainly captured the attention of the onlookers, leaving many to exclaim, "In the world of the wealthy, we just don't understand."
Rupert Murdoch and Elena Zhukova. Source: Reuters
When it comes to Murdoch, he's a household name, right? This media tycoon is famous for building a global media empire single-handedly and his tumultuous romantic life keeps people hooked. But what piques curiosity is his 67-year-old bride - Elena Zhukova, who happens to be quite the accomplished female scientist.
What kind of charm does this elegant and mysterious lady scientist possess?
"The enchanting molecular biologist"
Elena Zhukova, sourced from Reuters, was born in the former Soviet Union. Since 1979, she had been working at the Central Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion of the former Soviet Ministry of Health, primarily engaged in molecular virology and molecular biology research. During the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, she immigrated to the United States and worked as a research assistant at the Diabetes Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine. After a few years, she transitioned to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a researcher.
Elena's primary research focuses on molecular virology and molecular biology. According to journalists' inquiries, she has published several influential papers. Throughout her career, she has proposed various promising diabetes treatment strategies, pioneering new therapeutic approaches.
Taking one of Elena's papers where she served as the first author as an example. The paper titled "Expression of the human insulin gene in the gastric G cells of transgenic mice" demonstrates clever and forward-thinking design. Elena and her team found through studying animal models that the gastric cells of experimental animals could release insulin during feeding to maintain blood sugar stability. They believe this suggests the potential to utilize gastric cells to produce insulin for diabetes treatment. Surprisingly, they also discovered that the insulin produced by gastric cells during feeding did not lead to dangerous hypoglycemic reactions, implying that producing insulin through this method might be a safer treatment approach.
In addition to her diabetes research, Elena has conducted mechanistic studies on intestinal epithelial cells, particularly focusing on the regulation of G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathways. Her research subjects include key factors such as FAK, Pyk2, protein kinase D, as well as oxidative stress-induced protein kinase C activation and redistribution. Correspondingly, Elena has published multiple peer-reviewed scientific papers in journals such as J. Cell Physiol, Endocrinology, and J. Biol Chem, revealing important mechanisms and functions in signaling molecule cross-regulation, activation of cyclic phosphorylation, cell migration, and adhesion.
When Elena retired from UCLA in 2010, she was already a professor of biology, and her colleagues highly praised her contributions and hard work. Her former colleague and current Scientific Review Officer at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, USA, Slays, commented, "Elena's research in diabetes is respected, and if her funding doesn't dry up, her research could be very promising."
"Not unfamiliar with the limelight"
Many people liken the union of Murdoch and Elena to a story of "media tycoon prince" and "Cinderella scientist."
However, the reality is quite different; Elena is no stranger to the "glittering world" herself. Her ex-husband, Alexander Zhukov, is quite influential: he is a bona fide Russian oligarch, both a billionaire in the energy investment field and a prominent Russian politician. According to news reports, they divorced as early as 2008.
What also brought Elena into the spotlight is her daughter with Zhukov - the Russian socialite Dasha Zhukova. Dasha's marriages have also been highly scrutinized; she has been married successively to Roman Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea Football Club in the English Premier League, and Stavros Niarchos, the billionaire heir of the Greek shipping empire.
Tatler, a social fashion magazine, described Dasha Zhukova as follows: "At the heart of a vast network of power, which includes the art world, Russian oligarchs, and one of the most influential shipping dynasties in the world."
Elena Zhukova (center) with her daughter Dasha Zhukova (right). Source: Shutterstock
People can't help but wonder what Elena, immersed in the "glamorous world", is like in her family and scientific life?
Describing her mother, Dasha once portrayed her as a "very serious scientist" and recalled, "There were many 'geek' graduate students visiting our house since I was little."
When asked by reporters why Elena left the Soviet Union with her 9-year-old daughter after 1990, Dasha explained, "After the collapse of the Soviet Union, my mother couldn't cope with the sudden changes. She found it quite challenging to live in such an aggressive environment." "In fact, we didn't immigrate to the US; we thought we would live there for a year or two. It's hard to imagine leaving like that at the age of thirty-something, taking a child and going to a strange place."
Elena's former colleague, Slayes, was asked by reporters if he could perceive Elena's wealth, to which he said, "When I met her at the University of California, Los Angeles, her life was quite affluent. She lived in a house in the upscale neighborhood of Westwood in Los Angeles, right next to Beverly Hills." Westwood is a famous upscale community in Los Angeles, with the iconic Playboy Mansion located there.
He added, "Elena has a charming lifestyle, but she doesn't flaunt it in the lab." "She's quite private, and her lifestyle isn't obvious in the office. For a scientist of her caliber, her clothes and car are quite 'standard'."
"Finding Love Again"
"A media tycoon + a female scientist," this pairing seems unlikely, how did they meet and get to know each other?
Interestingly, the "matchmaker" in this love story turned out to be Murdoch's ex-wife, Wendi Deng. A source told the Daily Mail, "They met through Wendi and Dasha." It's understood that Wendi Deng is a friend of Elena's daughter Dasha, and Elena met Murdoch through Wendi.
Moreover, their common topic is science. Although Murdoch is primarily involved in the media industry, he is not unfamiliar with the field of science. His assets extend to many research organizations and magazine publishing companies, including the prestigious Nature Publishing Group. At the same time, he is keen on investing in scientific research and supporting innovation.
According to news reports, Elena and Murdoch started dating in August 2023. However, there were reports that just two months before they started dating, Murdoch proposed to a model and flight attendant, but they quickly broke up due to "irreconcilable differences."
Rupert Murdoch and Elena in a picture together. Image Source: Profimedia
Elena and Murdoch are planning to tie the knot on June 1 at Murdoch's estate in California, marking Murdoch's fifth marriage. A close friend revealed the reason behind Murdoch's decision to marry again at the age of 92: "He doesn't like being alone."
With four divorces for Murdoch and two for Elena, neither of them has had an easy journey in the realm of marriage and love. However, in their twilight years, they have chosen to embark on this journey together once again.
Will Elena be Murdoch's final wife? Insiders say, "His energy is that of someone in their 40s, so he may fall in love again." Therefore, only time will tell.
