MESOPOLHIS is pleased to welcome Iryna Sikorska from 1 to 28 September 2025, as part of the OPEN COST Action (www.opencostaction.eu).

Iryna Sikorska holds doctorates in public administration (2007) and sociology (2023). She is an associate professor in the Department of Cultural Studies at Mariupol State University (Kiev, Ukraine). She is also founder and president of the Ukrainian Association of Professors and Researchers in European Integration (aprei.com.ua).

She is a member of theOPEN COST Action (www.opencostaction.eu)in collaboration with Dorota Dakowska.

His research project "Reimagining academic openness as a strategic and ethical tool for resilience and democracy-building". aims to explore how the war in Ukraine and the European response to it are reshaping the principles and infrastructures of academic collaboration. The aim of this research is to respond to the urgent need to rethink the role of knowledge production and academic cooperation in times of geopolitical uncertainty and in the face of the wider challenges facing Europe.

At MESOPOLHIS, Iryna Sikorska intends to deepen and refine her research by opening up to new perspectives, methodologies and interdisciplinary dialogues. The emphasis on transnational, historical and empirical approaches provides an ideal environment for this research.

Contact: i.sikorska@mu.edu.ua

___

Prof. Dr. Iryna Sikorska holds PhD in Public Administration (2007) and in Sociology (2023). She is an Associate Professor of the Department of Cultural Studies of Mariupol State University (Kyiv, Ukraine). She is also a founder and chairperson of Ukrainian Association of Professors and Researchers of European Integration (aprei.com.ua).

From September 1 to 28, 2025 she is a visiting researcher at MESOPOLHIS, as part of the OPEN COST Action (www.opencostaction.eu)in collaboration with Dorota Dakowska.

Her research project "Reimagining Academic Openness as a Strategic and Ethical Instrument of Resilience and Democracy Building". aims to investigate how the war in Ukraine and the European response to it, is reshaping the principles and infrastructures of academic collaboration. The research goal responds to the urgent need to rethink the role of knowledge production and academic cooperation in times of geopolitical uncertainty, and broader challenges facing Europe.

During her stay at MESOPOLHIS, Dr. Sikorska intends to deepen and refine her research by engaging with new perspectives, methodologies, and interdisciplinary dialogue. The focus on transnational, historical, and empirically grounded approaches can be an ideal environment for this inquiry.

Email: i.sikorska@mu.edu.ua