March 6, 2024
Taras K. Oleksyk, associate professor in Oakland University’s Department of Biological Sciences, has been named a U.S. Fulbright Scholar for the 2024-25 academic year.
Dr. Oleksyk’s Fulbright Award will allow him to travel to Poland for a research project in collaboration with Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Jagiellonian University, (both located in Kraków), and the Silesian Institute of Technology, in Gliwice.
The project’s goals will be to examine genetic variability in Eastern Europe using computational genome studies and to develop and launch an educational program in genomics and bioinformatics in Poland, which will be extended to Ukrainian students displaced by the Russian invasion.
Studies on genetic variability can yield important insights, helping scientists identify and understand genetic variants associated with human health and describe historical factors that drive genetic diversity throughout the world.
According to Dr. Oleksyk, the Fulbright Award is an “amazing opportunity” to pioneer cutting-edge research across Eastern Europe.
“Without Poland, my research in Europe will have a blank spot, so, it is very important that I spend time there and fill it in,” said Oleksyk. “I am looking for collaborators, students and postdoctoral fellows who are interested in the genome diversity in the region.”
Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, with the goal to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
“Fulbright's mission is to bring people together and that is exactly what I intend to do with my project,” said Oleksyk. “ It is also a great opportunity for my family, and especially for my children who can experience living in Europe and relate to another culture.”