Bykova is working with Alex Goncharov on the phase diagram of the Fe-O system. Her research interests include:

Crystallography and crystal chemistry at extreme conditions (high pressures and high/low temperatures); Characterization of minerals and Earth-related materials at the conditions of the deep Earth's interiors; Synthesis and characterization of materials with promising electronic, magnetic, and mechanical properties (high hardness, incompressibility, high-T superconductivity).