The President of Ukraine’s Fund for the Support of Education, Science, and Sports has announced the selection of 10 Ukrainian universities to host the UK–UA Visiting Professors Program, featuring leading professors from top British higher education institutions. Éminent academics from universities like Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh, Leeds, Warwick, among others, will conduct on-site lectures in Ukraine. The program focuses on disciplines such as medicine, astrobiology, mathematics, computer science, aerodynamics, energy, neurophysiology, post-conflict soil restoration, and artificial intelligence in education — areas deemed critical to Ukraine’s defense, reconstruction, and technological progress.
Significantly, Bukovinian State Medical University has invited David Jayne (University of Leeds), a robotic surgery expert; Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv will host Charles Cockell (University of Edinburgh), an astrobiologist; Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University welcomes Arieh Iserles (University of Cambridge), a specialist in numerical analysis; Ivan Franko National University of Lviv invites Sandra Kiefer (University of Oxford), a researcher in computer science and bioinformatics; the National Aviation University includes Bert Blocken (Heriot-Watt University), an aerodynamic and computational modeling scientist; Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute is set to welcome Vania Sena (University of Sheffield), an innovation ecosystem expert; Khmelnytskyi National University will host William Heath, a digital control systems specialist from Bangor University, University of Newcastle, and University of Manchester; Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University has invited Sergiy Sylantyev (University of Aberdeen), a neurophysiologist; Sumy National Agrarian University is partnering with Mark Horton (Royal Agricultural University/University of Bristol), an archaeologist specializing in soil restoration; and Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University will welcome Richard Smith (University of Warwick), an expert in TESOL, applied linguistics, and AI integration in education.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine stated that this initiative relies on specific demands from universities regarding educational programs, research directions, and applied projects aimed at Ukraine’s recovery and development. Experts are selected based on the needs identified for implementing joint projects and supporting the educational and scientific process.
