Ukraine has lost almost 20% of its scientists due to the Russian invasion, according to a study published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.
Ukrainian scientist Olena Iarmosh never believed the Russian invasion of Ukraine would happen. Iarmosh lived and worked in Kharkiv for more than 16 years as a lecturer in higher education before escaping to Switzerland. “My city looks worse now after the bombing than after two occupations by German troops,” said Iarmosh.
The lecturer stayed in her house for nine days before fleeing to western Ukraine until the bombing started there, too. She was eventually forced to escape to Switzerland and secured a position at EPFL with Gaétan de Rassenfosse.
Inspired by these events, de Rassenfoss wanted to quantify the impact of the war on Ukrainian research. Results from about 2500 Ukrainian scientists show that “Ukraine has lost almost 20% of top scientists, like Olena,” explained de Rassenfosse of EPFL’s College of Management of Technology. “Many of these emigrant scientists are under precarious contracts at their host institutions. Of the scientists who stay in Ukraine, if still alive, about 15% have left research, and others have little time to devote to research given the circumstances of war.”
The EPFL researchers also determined that Ukraine’s research capacity — time devoted to research activity — is down 20%. Over 20% of scientists still living in Ukraine have lost access to critical parts of their research, and some cannot even physically access their institutions. As a way to help those still in Ukraine, the researchers suggest looking for remote visiting programs in institutions across Europe, accessing digital libraries and computing resources, or writing collaborative research grants with groups outside of Ukraine. “From a purely academic perspective, moving abroad may actually be an opportunity to improve as a scientist, as our survey shows that being abroad means exposure to novelty,” added de Rassenfosse.
Currently on a temporary contract, Iarmosh is living in Switzerland. “In Ukraine, with my level of education, there were many more options that I could choose from. In Switzerland, I am less picky about the job and know that each opportunity will be a positive experience for me,” said the researcher. “Despite the war, Ukraine is doing a lot to keep researchers and scientists employed. Education in eastern and southern Ukraine is fully online. Ukrainian universities still want to keep us. They invite us to activities, ask us to supervise and continue research. It is a great privilege for all lecturers and researchers. They are trying to maintain a university education for youth.”
“More generally, our study shows that Ukrainian scientists are getting more and more disconnected from the Ukrainian scientific community, and this is dangerous for the future of Ukraine and Ukrainian research,” warned de Rassenfosse. “Policymakers must anticipate the renewal of the Ukrainian research system in order for scientists to return and to train the next generation of Ukrainian scientists.”
“Kharkiv is beautiful, the people, the mentality, the architecture, it is clean. I love Kharkiv,” concluded Iarmosh. “But the human loss has been colossal. Physically and mentally strong, patriotic, open-minded men stayed behind, fighting to protect Ukraine. We can rebuild buildings. It takes many years to build a new generation.”
de Rassenfosse, G., Murovana, T. & Uhlbach, WH. The effects of war on Ukrainian research. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 10, 856 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02346-x