Oleksiy Shevchenko

Oleksiy Shevchenko serves as an Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Virology, ESC 'Institute of Biology and Medicine', Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. He has held his position as Head of the Research Laboratory since 2007 and was appointed Associate Professor in 2019. His research focuses on plant virology, particularly virus ecology, epidemiology, and diagnostics of plant viruses affecting agricultural crops in Ukraine.

His educational background includes:

• MS degree with highest distinction in Microbiology and Virology (1996-2001)
• PhD in Virology (2001-2004)
• Training at Molecular Phytopathology Lab, University of Edinburgh (2004-2005)
• Certificate of Senior Research Fellow (2013)

Dr. Shevchenko's research examines how environmental stress factors like radioactive irradiation and heavy metals contamination impact virus infection development and spread. He has made significant contributions to identifying numerous plant viruses in Ukraine for the first time. His work has expanded into phage therapy applications, particularly addressing trauma-related infections during the Ukraine conflict. His laboratory focuses on screening for economically important plant viruses, designing diagnostic kits, and introducing virus research into agricultural practices for sustainable production.

His scientific achievements have been recognized with several prestigious awards:

• Grant of the President of Ukraine (2011)
• Diploma of the Rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (2010)
• Award of the Parliament of Ukraine for gifted young scientists (2009)
• Chevening Technology Enterprise Scholarship (2004-2005)

Dr. Shevchenko has extensive methodological expertise in virology techniques including field and laboratory methods, microscopy, molecular techniques (PCR/RT-PCR, ELISA), and plant virus control. His research has practical applications for Ukrainian agriculture, helping identify and mitigate viral threats to food security while contributing to global understanding of plant-virus-environment interactions.