The development strategy of Igor Sikorsky KPI provides for increasing the level of academic mobility of students and teachers through international exchange programs, summer schools, internships, etc. This is one of the university's priority areas of activity aimed at deepening the internationalization and integration of participants in the educational process into the international educational and scientific space, improving the quality of education and the effectiveness of scientific research, as well as ensuring competitiveness in the educational services market.
The head of the Department of General Physics and Modeling of Physical Processes, Professor Daria Savchenko, talks about the students who participated in international programs and new areas of cooperation in the article below.
One of the important areas of the university's activity is internationalization, i.e., the creation of an environment that will promote the exchange of knowledge and intercultural enrichment of the university community. These efforts are implemented through important international events, the expansion of international partnerships, the activation of student and teacher mobility, and the implementation of international scientific projects.
During the years of full-scale war, Ukrainian students continue to gain knowledge, work on scientific projects, and join the international academic community. Despite all the difficulties, female students of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Igor Sikorsky KPI demonstrate high motivation, readiness for intercultural cooperation, and remarkable scientific potential. During 2023-2025, they repeatedly participated in prestigious educational and scientific programs in Europe and Canada, confirming that Ukrainian science is alive, active, and confidently integrating into the global space.
Thus, in July 2023, students of the OF-11 group Kateryna Rachek and Daryna Provolovska, as well as postgraduate student Iryna Tyukavkina, took part in the international MAGIC+ WORKSHOP dedicated to the physics of magnetism. The event was held at a science center near Poznan (Poland) and focused on studying the dynamics of spin waves, the transport properties of magnetic materials, and the physics of low-dimensional structures. Participants had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of modern experimental physics and establish professional contacts with young scientists from different countries.
In September 2023, Maryna Golyatkin, a graduate student at the Department of General Physics and Modeling of Physical Processes, took the course “Advanced English for PhD Students – Enhancing Language Production Skills” at the Warsaw University of Technology. The program, implemented with the support of NAWA “Solidarity with Ukraine – European Universities,” was aimed at developing academic writing skills, oral scientific communication, and presentation of research results in English. This experience was an important step in preparing for future international presentations and publications.
From October 2023 to March 2024, Maria Kaplaushenko, a student of the OF-01 group, studied at the University of Vienna (Austria) as part of the Erasmus+ academic mobility program. She successfully completed courses in quantum mechanics, computational physics, and applied mathematics, which were credited to her curriculum at KPI. Studying in Vienna gave her the opportunity not only to deepen her professional knowledge but also to gain experience in intercultural academic interaction.
In June-July 2024, student Daryna Provolovska (OF-11) took part in a summer school in mathematics and engineering organized by Gdańsk University of Technology with funding from the NAWA program. The school participants studied modern methods of applied mathematics and numerical methods in engineering, and also worked on team projects in the laboratories of the Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics. "The trip opened the door to the world of science for me, and I fell in love with physics. It is a large community with opportunities to socialize and find friends and partners," said the student.
In September-October 2024, student Kateryna Rachek (OF-11) completed a research internship at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada) as part of a project to search for dark matter in PICO bubble chambers. During her internship, she developed software for processing experimental data in Python, participated in laboratory discussions, and mastered methods for analyzing physical signals in real-time systems. Her work was highly praised by the Canadian scientific supervisors. “This is a very valuable experience both for me, a green bachelor, and for more experienced participants,” the girl shared her impressions.
In March 2025, Daria Podolska, a student of the OF-21 group, took part in the International Conference on New Methods of Calculation in Spectroscopy and Crystallography, held in Gdańsk with the participation of Gdańsk University of Technology, Lund University (Sweden) and with the support of NAWA. The program included lectures by leading scientists, poster sessions, workshops, and discussions on modern methods of numerical modeling in experimental physics. Daria had the opportunity to present her research, receive feedback from European colleagues, and join the international scientific community.
In addition to the programs that have already been implemented, FMF students have relevant opportunities to participate in new internships. In particular, since 2025, it has been possible to undertake research internships at the Laboratory of Magneto-Optical and Terahertz Spectroscopy of the Central European Institute of Technology at the Technical University of Brno (Czech Republic) within the framework of the current ERASMUS+ project. As part of the scientific internship, students will have the opportunity to work on research projects in the field of electron paramagnetic resonance, semiconductor materials research, or microwave resonator development. Participation in the program is fully funded and will remain open until at least 2027.
All these examples demonstrate that even in the context of full-scale war, Ukrainian students are able to actively develop, work on an equal footing with foreign colleagues, and shape the modern image of science in Ukraine. Academic mobility is becoming an important tool for professional growth, broadening horizons, and international scientific integration, and the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics is doing everything possible to support this trajectory of development.