Andrii Portnov

Andrii Portnov (born May 17, 1979) is Director of PRISMA UKRAЇNA Research Network Eastern Europe and Professor at the Ukrainian Free University in Munich, Germany. In 2018, he was appointed Professor of Entangled History of Ukraine at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt/Oder, and in 2023 became Director of the Viadrina Centre of Polish and Ukrainian Studies.

Portnov completed his academic training with M.A. degrees in History from Dnipro University and Cultural Studies from Warsaw University, followed by a PhD dissertation in 2005 on Ukrainian emigration in inter-war Poland at the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Lviv. His academic career includes serving as Editor-in-chief of 'Ukraїna Moderna' journal (2006-2010), Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin (2012), and Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellowship at Humboldt University and Centre for Contemporary History in Potsdam (2014-2015).

His research focuses on intellectual history, historiography, and memory studies in Central and Eastern Europe, with particular attention to Ukrainian history and its entanglements with neighboring nations. Portnov's scholarly approach combines historical analysis with contemporary relevance, especially regarding Ukraine's position in Europe and its complex historical relationships with Russia and Poland. His work demonstrates how historical narratives are constructed, contested, and instrumentalized in contemporary political contexts, particularly during times of conflict.

Portnov's publications reveal a consistent engagement with urban history (particularly Dnipro), historical memory, and the politics of history-writing in Eastern Europe. His scholarship spans multiple languages and demonstrates a commitment to transcending national historiographical traditions to create more interconnected historical narratives that reflect the complex realities of Eastern European history.

• Baron Velge Prize (2015)
• DIALOG Prize of the German-Polish Society (2022) for commitment to dissemination of knowledge about Ukraine
• Ab Imperio Book Prize for 'Dnipro. An Entangled History of a European City' (2022)

Portnov has established himself as a significant academic voice on Ukrainian affairs in European academia, founding the PRISMA UKRAЇNA Research Network Eastern Europe in 2016. He has conducted research and lectured at numerous prestigious institutions including Universities of Basel, Cambridge, Geneva, Potsdam, Free University Berlin, SciencesPo Paris, SciencesPo Lyon, Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, and Historisches Kolleg in Munich.