Dr. Kseniia Minakova is an Associate Professor of Physics, Leader Researcher in Optics & Photonics Laboratory and Deputy Chair of the Admissions Committee at the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”. In 2023 she was named Optica Ambassador. Dr. Minakova received her Ph.D in Solid State Physics from the Institute of Electrophysics & Radiation Technologies National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and the Master’s degree in Theoretical Physics from the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Now Kseniia's research is focused on theoretical calculations and modeling of thermal physical processes to find modern solutions and technical improvements to solar collectors for photovoltaic systems, taking into account the most important parameters of heat transfer processes, to optimize and increase the amount of heat removed from the surface of the solar collector. She also explored best practices in the effective recruitment, training, and development of women and other underrepresented groups in STEAM and learned how she can institutionalize opportunities for women in Ukraine using US experience. She has great experience in STEM that is being implemented in University-wide, as well as in all-Ukrainian and international STEM projects.
In this lecture she will discuss how the war in Ukraine has impacted researchers and rebuilding efforts.