Dr Sergiy Sylantyev of the University of Aberdeen has completed his visit to ONU

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Dr Sergiy Sylantyev of the University of Aberdeen has completed a week-long course for students and academics in Odesa

I.I. Mechnikov Odessa National University welcomed its alumnus, Dr Sergiy Sylantyev, who is now a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen. The research and educational visit took place from 25 May to 1 June 2026 as part of the UK–UA Visiting Professors Programme, organised by the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Education, Science, and Sports.

Over the course of the week, the researcher delivered a series of lectures and practical sessions on biophysics, physiology, and receptor pharmacology of excitable cells for students, postgraduate students, and researchers from the Faculty of Biology. Course participants learned modern methods of analysing raw electrophysiological data using the specialised software ClampFit and GraphPad Prism.

In addition to the theoretical component, laboratory workshops were held at the Department of Physiology, Human Health and Safety, and Natural Sciences Education. Students and postgraduate students measured heart rates and performed electrocardiography on laboratory animals using the state-of-the-art Vet-500 medical equipment.

Sergiy Sylantyev is an alumnus of I. I. Mechnikov Odessa National University. In 1998, he graduated from the university’s Faculty of Biology, continued his academic work in Ukraine and abroad, and taught neurophysiology and neuropharmacology at the Australian National University, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Aberdeen. He currently works at the University of Aberdeen, specifically at the Rowett Institute.

“Returning to my alma mater with international experience is an opportunity to support Ukrainian science during wartime. I wanted to give students the tools: how to work with raw data, how to formulate a research question, how to test conclusions, and how to see the connection between fundamental neurophysiology and clinical practice. Ukrainian science and students must be included in international scientific work. They have the interest, a strong foundation, and the desire to work with modern approaches,”

noted Dr Sergiy Sylantyev.

The programme to engage foreign professors helps Ukrainian higher education institutions integrate into the global scientific community and develop STEM disciplines, despite the war. In-person visits allow young researchers to interact directly with leading scientists and discuss future joint projects.

“We want Ukrainian youth to choose STEM disciplines and see real prospects for developing a scientific career in Ukraine. Sergiy Sylantyev began his academic career at Odesa University and has now returned to Ukrainian students with world-class experience. Such initiatives help us support Ukrainian talent and lay a solid foundation for the innovative development of our country,”

commented Yuriy Petrushenko, Director of the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Education, Science, and Sports.

Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University has been selected as one of 10 Ukrainian universities to participate in the UK–UA Visiting Professors Programme. The university has a long history of cooperation with British institutions, participates in the Twinning Ukraine programme, and has cooperation and academic exchange agreements with over 100 universities in nearly 30 countries worldwide. The university is currently implementing around 20 international programmes and projects.

“It is important for our university that international cooperation provides students with access to up-to-date knowledge, laboratory approaches, and genuine scientific contacts. The visit by our alumnus Sergiy Sylantyev demonstrates the strong link between Ukrainian higher education and the global scientific community. For students, this is a clear example of an academic trajectory that begins in Ukraine, develops in leading British centres and returns in the form of new knowledge and partnerships,”

emphasised Vyacheslav Truba, Chair of the Academic Council of Odesa National University.

The UK–UA Visiting Professors Programme gives Ukrainian universities the opportunity to invite lecturers from leading British universities ranked in the top 250 of the QS, THE or ARWU world rankings to collaborate. Visiting professors deliver lectures, consultations, practical sessions, and academic events, and may participate in joint research. An in-person visit to a Ukrainian university is a mandatory requirement of the programme.

During a full-scale war, such initiatives are of practical importance for Ukrainian education and science. They help universities maintain a vibrant academic environment, provide students with international expertise within Ukraine, and develop STEM disciplines essential for technological advancement, medicine, reconstruction, and the long-term sustainability of our nation.

The UK–UA Visiting Professors Programme is implemented by the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Education, Science, and Sports in collaboration with the UK–Ukraine Academic Diaspora Network, Ukrgasbank (UGB) and the ‘MHP-Gromadi’ Charitable Foundation.

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