Jun 28 — Lev Stanislavsky, a scientist from Kharkiv, was awarded the PhD prize at-large by the International Astronomical Union for outstanding achievements in astronomy, reports the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) on its Facebook page.

Stanislavsky defended the thesis “New Astrophysical Capabilities of Radio Astronomy of the Longest Wavelengths” in 2024. 

He conducted the experimental research in Kharkiv during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which was — and is — frequently attacked by Russian drones, missiles, and bombs, being a city that’s just 19 miles from the border. 

The first Ukrainian to receive this award, Stanislavsky currently works as a junior researcher at the astrophysics department of the Institute of Radio Astronomy under NASU in Kharkiv. 

Stanislavsky also helped repair and restore the radio telescope GURT which was damaged by Russian attacks, and continued to write scientific papers during the full-scale war (e.g., based on observing the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A.) 

The prize at-large is, according to the IAU, given to “applicants who conducted their PhD research under adverse conditions.” 

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