Story 4: Volodymyr Harkavenko

A driven professional based in Kyiv, Volodymyr Harkavenko has built a career encompassing academia and industry. He obtained a Master’s degree with honors in Physiology from the Kharkiv National University and pursued a Ph.D. in molecular physiology, gerontology, and lipidomics.

In addition to this, Harkavenko has worked in the industry for eight years, including one year in a pharmaceutical facility in vaccine development and quality control. As a research fellow, he has also provided environmental services such as soil remediation after oil spills and cleaning solutions for industrial sites. 

However, his scientific activities have been limited due to the ongoing war with Russia. “The Russians have already destroyed some of our University facilities, killed colleagues I collaborated with, and imprisoned my closest colleague and friend as a prisoner of war,” he said.

Still, despite the challenges, Harkavenko remains focused. He is committed to introducing modern methods of computational analyses to his areas of interest and is passionate about scientific analyses and modeling for management and decision-making.

Harkavenko was inspired to pursue a career in science by his school biology teacher, who is now a professor in mycology.