Current Programmes

SITAD Hub previously known as Ukraine Democracy Initiative (UDI),Visiting Fellow Program enables research students at MA, PhD levels and early career researchers from UTS's Ukrainian partner universities to travel to Sydney to collaborate on projects of mutual interest with UTS academics. Visitors appointed under this program are provided with up to AUD$8,000 to be used for travel, accommodation and living expenses during their stay. The hosting School of Communication will provide suitable space and facilities. The academic visits under this program are intended to further research collaboration in the area of Ukrainian studies and broader communication studies

UTS School of Communication hosts outstanding MA, PhD students and early career researchers from Ukraine, who wish to spend a short period of time at the Ukraine Democracy Initiative within the School of Communication, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. They are able to work on their research projects and discuss the work with UDI and UTS researchers at the School of Communications seminars, research events and engage with higher degree research students. Fellows are welcome to participate in the academic activities of the Faculty and UTS.

Maryna Rabinovych

Visiting 01 March - 15 May 2024

Dr Maryna Rabinovych, our new visiting fellow at SITADHub at UTS, is set to arrive in Australia on March 1st.

Dr Rabinovych is Post-Doctoral Researcher with the project “Lowering the Bar? Compliance Negotiations and the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement”, funded by the Research Council of Norway and implemented by the University of Agder, Southern Norway. Also affiliated with two leading Ukrainian universities: Kyiv School of Economics and the National University of “Kyiv Mohyla Academy”.

While here at UTS, she will be working on a research project “Blame Games & Claiming Credit: The Anatomy of the Minsk II Peace Process in Ukraine (2014-2022)”.

We’ve also planned several events at UTS, so you can meet and hear from Maryna. The event schedule includes:

• 13 March, Wednesday, 1-2.30 pm, UTS ResHub => Talk by Marina Rabinovych “Blame Games & Claiming Credit: The Anatomy of the Minsk II Peace Process in Ukraine (2014-2022)”

• 29th March, Friday, 1-2.30 pm, UTS ResHub => Talk by Marina Ukrainian “Universities at WAR: Coping Strategies & International Assistance”

• 11th April, 5-6.45 pm, hybrid event, Transcontinental public discussion “Responses to Ukrainians’ Wartime Migration: Australia and the Nordic-Baltic region compared”, co-organised by University of Agder (UiA), Nordic-Baltic knowledge-based network for the rebuilding of Ukraine “Hromada”, SITADHub Ukraine (Social Impact Technology and Ukraine Democracy Research Hub).

Maryna Rabinovych is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Policy and Governance of Kyiv School of Economics, Kyiv, Ukraine. She holds a PhD (magna cum laude) in Legal Studies from the University of Hamburg, an LL.M “European and European Legal Studies” from the University of Hamburg and Eropa-Kolleg Hamburg, as well as an LL.B from Odesa National University. The works by Dr. Rabinovych were published in East European Politics, Brill Open Law, Hague Journal on the Rule of Law and Global Affairs. Her co-edited volume “Decentralization, Regional Diversity, and Conflict. The Case of Ukraine” was published by Palgrave McMillan in August 2020. Her monograph “EU Regional Trade Agreements: An Instrument of Promoting the Rule of Law to Third States” saw the world with “Routledge Studies in EU Foreign Policy Series” in April 2021. In Sydney, Dr. Rabinovych will work on the research project “Blame Games and Claiming Credit in the Implementation of Peace Agreements: The Case of the Minsk Peace Process”.

Iryna Fyshchuk

Visiting 01 Aug - 15 October 2024

Iryna Fyshchuk is Assistant Professor and Post-Doc Researcher at the National Academy for Public Administration under the President of Ukraine (NAPA), Department of Public Administration and Public Service, Kyiv, Ukraine. She holds PhD in International Economics (2013) from Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University (KNU), Kyiv, Ukraine. Between 2012 and 2017 she worked as a Lecturer in International Economics at the Christian University, the State Economic and Technological University of Transport and KROK University. She has over 40 scholarly publications. While at UDI/UTS, she will be working on her research project “Open and Effective Communication of Public Authorities in Ukraine: Performance, Challenges and Futures”.

Anastasiia  Syzenko

Visiting 01 August - 01 Nov 2024

Anastasiia Syzenko is Associate Professor at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and teacher trainer at British Council Ukraine. She holds MA and PhD in Modern Languages (English and French) and MA in Public Administration. As awardee of Carnegie Fellowship and Weiser Professional Development Fellowship, Anastasia has had extensive international academic and research experience at UC Berkeley and University of Michigan (USA). She has conducted research projects at University of Turku (Finland), KU Leuven (Belgium), and Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania). Her research interests include reforms in higher education, digitalization and communication in public administration. She is also a Board member and co-founder of Smart City Public Council, a non-for-profit public organization aimed at developing democracy and fostering transparent governance in Ukraine via digitization and introduction of the world’s best practices of e-governance into local city councils. While at UDI/UTS she will be working on her research project “Crisis Communications in Public Sector” – a comparative case study of good practices in Australia and Ukraine.

 2023 Visiting Fellowships

The first fellow Daryna Zhyvohliadova arrived in March 2023. The program was postponed due to Covid and the war imposed on Ukraine by Russia.

Daryna Zhyvohliadova

Daryna Zhyvohliadova is a policy researcher (currently PhD-candidate in Culture Studies at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv), cultural program manager, and non-formal education trainer (skills gained by Erasmus + Program). She holds the position of Deputy Head of International Cooperation Department at the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation - the key institution reported to the Ministry of Culture and Informational policy of Ukraine. The project that Daryna will be working on while at UTS is titled “Think globally – act locally: socio-cultural issues of international cooperation”. Through UDI/UTS fellowship program Daryna aims is to bring reforms to the Ukrainian cultural, economic and social space by strengthening the dialog between Ukraine and Australia and exchanging experience with scientific leaders from Australia, especially from University of Technology Sydney.

Daryna was recently awarded the International Arts & Antiquities Security Forum Award for Young Cultural Protection Professional. This award is directly aligned with the work of her Fellowship, PhD and as a professional at the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.