Lidiya Zubytska

Lidiya Zubytska, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Politics at Ave Maria University. She specializes in comparative politics of Eastern European states and foreign policy analysis, focusing on domestic factors influencing foreign policy during political transitions. Her research examines new Ukrainian diplomatic approaches during wartime and presidentialization in Eastern Europe. She holds fellowships from the Woodrow Wilson Center and Uppsala University's Institute on Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Education: B.A. in English (Ivan Franko National University), M.A. in International Peace Studies (University of Notre Dame), Ph.D. in Political Science (University of Kansas). Prior to academia, she worked on civil service reform in post-Orange Revolution Ukraine. She has taught at Ukrainian Catholic University, Randolph-Macon College, Loyola University Maryland, and the University of Mary Washington.

Research interests include Ukrainian foreign policy dynamics, oligarchic influence in transitional politics, and geopolitical shifts in Eastern Europe. Her recent work emphasizes Ukraine’s diplomatic strategies amid Russia’s invasion and institutional presidential power consolidation in the region.

Professional highlights include her 2024 Peace Review article on international organizations’ efficacy regarding Ukraine and her 2019 analysis of oligarchs in Ukrainian foreign policymaking. Awards include prestigious research fellowships supporting her work on Eurasian political systems.