Едуард

Eduard Lopushniak, PhD – Curriculum Vitae

Date of birth: 28/03/1998
Tel.: [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація»)
Email: [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація»)
Current location: Halle, Germany
Current educational institution: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Language skills: Ukrainian (native), English (C1), German (A1)

The topic of my PhD dissertation is "Conceptual foundations of the social technology of institutional separation of powers in a democratic society". Completed and defended under wartime conditions; I was the only doctoral candidate among approximately twenty PhD researchers of the Faculty of Sociology to successfully complete and defend a dissertation during the full-scale war.
Data Science Skills:
Programming / Quantitative Tools: Python (pandas, NumPy, statsmodels, scikit-learn), R (tidyverse, lme4), Stata, SPSS, UCINET, Excel, PowerBI.
Methods: Multinomial & Logistic Regression, APC Modeling (Age–Period–Cohort), Trend Linear Decomposition, Social Indicator Modeling & Index Construction, Text-as-Data Techniques, Social Network Analysis, Survey Data Analysis (WVS, EVS, ESS, national datasets), Early-warning models for social tension and governance stress.
Research interests
My research focuses on the sociological analysis of institutional separation and distribution of powers as a social technology shaping democratic social order. I study how legislative, executive, and judicial institutions function as interdependent systems that ensure balance, accountability, and stability of governance in modern societies.
Key areas of interest include:
1) socio-political transformation and democratization in post-Soviet societies since 1991,
2) institutionalization and governance resilience in democratic systems,
3) separation of powers as a social and institutional technology,
4) rule of law, legitimacy, and institutional accountability
5) social tensions and contradictions emerging in democratic transitions,
6) interaction between political institutions and civil society,
7) structural determinants of institutional effectiveness and corruption risks,
8) methodological approaches to measuring institutional performance and functional capacities of state institutions,
9) quantitative and structural-functional analysis of governance systems.
My work integrates classical sociological theory, contemporary institutional approaches, and empirical analysis to understand how democratic institutions adapt to crises, globalization, and post-industrial modernization, with particular attention to Ukraine as a case of ongoing socio-political transformation.
Education in Ukraine
01/10/2021 – 02/09/2025
PhD, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Received: September 2025.
Field of study: Sociology
01/09/2019 – 30/06/2021
Masterʼs Diploma, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Received: June 2021 (group leader).
Field of study: Sociology (Social technologies)
01/09/2015 – 30/06/2019
Bachelorʼs Diploma, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Received: June 2019.
Field of study: Political Science (Political Management)
Education in Europe
I contributed to the development of a monograph-module for the Open Educational Resource on the History of Migration entitled Ukraine as a Migration Nexus, published by CEU Press in cooperation with Amsterdam University Press.
This volume was authored during my affiliation with Central European University and is designed as a methodological teaching resource. It is already being integrated into university curricula internationally, including adoption in courses at the University of Virginia (USA) and the University of Chicago (USA).
https://ucp-bv-web1.uchicago.edu/BV.book.epl?ISBN=9789048574384
My contribution to this project was supported through a research contract funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which enabled focused work on migration history, methodological design, and academic dissemination:
Lopushniak, E., & Kuzemska, L. (2025). Migration Data Possibilities, Limitations, and Politicization (Unit 3). In O. Chebotarov & V. Sereda (Eds.), Ukraine as a Migration Nexus: Perspectives on Historical and Current Population Movements. Central European University Press. ISBN: 9789048574384.
Monograph: https://pressbooks.pub/migrationukraine/
Unit 3:https://pressbooks.pub/migrationukraine/part/module-1/unit-3/
I participated in:
• the Invisible University for Ukraine Summer School 2022, 2023, and 2025 at the Central European University, Budapest,
• the Invisible University for Ukraine Winter School 2023 at the Central European University, Budapest,
• the Vilnius Summer Academy 2024 at Vilnius University.
https://www.ceu.edu/sites/default/files/media/document/2025-07/iufu-summer-school-program-final.pdf
Within the framework of cooperation between the Central European University (CEU) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), I was selected as a member of the Ukrainian delegation to participate in the DAAD Summer Academy 2024 in Vilnius. The program, held at Vilnius University and the European Humanities University, was supported by the German Studienstiftung.
In addition, I served as an editor for the academic journal Visible Ukraine (CEU Vienna–Budapest), which publishes scholarly work on Ukrainian society, culture, and history.
https://visibleukraine.org/author/eduard-lopushniak/
Overall, I am an active and accomplished participant in this program, holding numerous achievements and certificates.
Professional positions held
2021–2022Seminars conducted at the Vadym Hetman Kyiv National University of Economics.
2022–2023Seminars conducted at Taras Shevchenko National University.
I also have experience moderating lectures at the Invisible University for Ukraine from the Central European University Vienna-Budapest.
In my teaching practice, I have experience in working with audiences for whom Sociology is not considered a core discipline. At Vadym Hetman Kyiv National University of Economics, I taught Sociology to students whose primary focus was economics and management. This required rethinking conventional academic formats and developing creative teaching strategies to make sociological knowledge relevant and engaging.
I incorporated examples from popular culture, including references to Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, and contemporary trends, to connect sociological theory with students’ everyday experiences and cultural environments. Such an approach allowed students to recognize sociology as a tool for interpreting social reality rather than an abstract academic requirement. In seminars, we analyzed sociological concepts through familiar cultural material – for example, discussing social behavior and deviance through the character dynamics of SpongeBob SquarePants, examining the economic system of Bikini Bottom as a simplified model of local economies, and illustrating elements of structural functionalism using narratives from Despicable Me, including the roles of Gru and the Minions. These examples helped translate theoretical frameworks into accessible analytical tools for students.
At Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv I also taught courses in Political Sociology using real political cases and contemporary institutional developments, encouraging students to analyze governance, public decision-making, and democratic processes through empirical examples.
In addition, I developed and taught a course on Social Technologies – a relatively innovative field for Ukrainian sociology – inspired by the classical idea, articulated by Auguste Comte, that sociology should contribute to improving social life and harmonizing society rather than remaining purely an objectivist science.
Within the framework of the Invisible University for Ukraine (Central European University), I conducted discussion seminars with international scholars, including Diana Vonnak (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) and Catherine Wanner (Pennsylvania State University), focusing on postcolonial theory and Ukrainian transformations. The seminars addressed, how Robert Nixon’s concept of “slow violence” and Svitlana Matvienko’s idea of “vertical occupation” can be applied to analyze the long-term consequences of Soviet exploitation in Ukraine, including environmental disasters such as Chernobyl, economic subjugation through the planned economy, cultural domination through Russification, and political repression. We also discussed whether Hannah Arendt’s concept of the “banality of evil” can help interpret structural problems in Ukraine such as corruption, paternalism, and neopatrimonial governance, and how Soviet legacies continue to shape social perceptions and institutional behavior. Particular attention was given to the role of scholars, media, and civil society in addressing the consequences of environmental and economic manipulation, and to the ways public intellectuals can communicate research through accessible and symbolic forms of engagement. The seminars also explored the relationship between science, religion, and “magical thinking” in post-Soviet societies under conditions of war and trauma, and considered how education and research can provide rational, empathetic, and decolonized approaches to knowledge in response to these challenges.
I also facilitated mentoring seminars following lectures delivered by leading scholars such as Marci Shore and Timothy Snyder (Yale University) and Jan Kubik (Rutgers University), supporting students in analytical reflection and academic discussion.
During a presentation at CEU Budapest, I developed a creative format to communicate my research to an international academic audience, using visual material and contemporary cultural references. The presentation included archival and media images of the Ukrainian interviewer Dmytro Gordon with successive presidents of Ukraine, combined with current Ukrainian meme culture, which allowed me to explain complex institutional and socio-political processes in an accessible way. This approach was positively received and demonstrated my ability to translate academic research into engaging public and educational formats:
1. Leading sociologist & Data Analyst at the Educational Laboratory of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University (September 2023 – tMay 2026)
I develop and implement analytical tools and quantitative diagnostics for evaluating institutional performance and governance quality. My work includes designing data-driven recommendations for educational quality assurance systems and conducting advanced statistical modeling using APC analysis, regression techniques, and composite indicator construction. I am proficient with SPSS, Excel, UCINET, and additional analytical software, applying these tools to build evidence-based models of institutional behavior and organizational effectiveness.
2. Editor of the academic journal of the Central European University in Vienna-Budapest "Visible Ukraine" (2022 – 2023)
https://visibleukraine.org/
https://visibleukraine.org/author/eduard-lopushniak/
3. Intern at VoxCheck Ukraine (July 2021 – October 2021) https://voxukraine.org/voxcheck/
4. Sports Blogger at Tribuna Ukraine (May 2019 – till now)
https://ua.tribuna.com/uk/profile/1053170779/
As a writer on Tribuna, I explore narratives at the intersection of identity, memory, race, and gender. I write about Jewish heritage in Ukrainian sports (Emmanuel Schaffer), Roma resistance (Rukeli Trollmann), the modernity of 1930s Lviv, anti-racism advocates such as Walter Tull or Akim Aliu, gender inequality and sexual abuse scandals in sports, Cold War political pressures on athletes, and the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada. These narratives help me understand how cultural memory informs democratic values, public empathy, and the possibilities a society can imagine for its future.
5. Specialist at the Department for Quality Assurance in Education at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (September 2025 – May 2026)
Since October 2025, I have been working as a Specialist at the Department for Quality Assurance in Education at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. In this role, I provide analytical support and develop recommendations to improve the university’s internal system of educational quality assurance (October 2025 – till now). I build analytical models to evaluate institutional processes and decision-making
6. Visiting Researcher, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany (May 2026 - June 2026)
Conducting research in sociology and political institutions, participating in academic collaboration and international research activities.
Fun facts
I graduated from school with a silver medal and during my school years I participated in many Olympiads of various levels. Among my great successes are 3rd place in Ukraine at the physics competition “Levenia” from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in the 9th grade and participation in the intellectual TV show “The Smartest” – Samyy Umnyy with Tina Kandellaki in the 8th grade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pAjHbIsxrM&t=564s&ab_channel=%D0%A2%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%28InterTVchannel%29

Tabular resume

from
to
Position
Institution, Location
Country
Degrees/Activities/Interruptions
01.10.2021
19.09.2025
PhD in Sociology
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Ukraine
PhD in Sociology
09.2023
present
Senior Sociologist & Data Analyst
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Ukraine
Development of quantitative diagnostics for institutional performance, APC modeling, regression analysis, composite indicator construction
10.2025
present
Specialist (Quality Assurance in Education)
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Ukraine
Analytical support for internal quality assurance system; institutional process evaluation and decision modeling
09.2024
06.2025
Research Contributor (DAAD-funded contract)
Central European University (Vienna–Budapest)
Austria
Contribution to CEU Press monograph on migration data infrastructures and methodology
04.2022
present
Student
Central European University (Vienna–Budapest)
Austria
Non-Degree – Invisible University for Ukraine
07.2022
12.2023
Editor
Visible Ukraine Journal (CEU Budapest)
Austria
Academic editing of peer-reviewed content on Ukrainian society and culture
09.2022
08.2023
Lecturer (Seminars)
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Ukraine
Teaching seminars in sociology
09.2021
08.2022
Lecturer (Seminars)
Kyiv National Economic University
Ukraine
Teaching seminars in sociology
01.09.2019
30.06.2021
Student
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Ukraine
Master of Science – Sociology
09.2015
30.06.2019
Student
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Ukraine
Bachelor of Science – Political Science