A year-long expedition to the Antarctic station “Academician Vernadsky” will be led by a woman for the first time
Meteorologist Anzhelika Hanchuk will become the leader of the 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition (UAE) to the “Akademik Vernadsky” station in 2026–2027. This was reported by the National Antarctic Research Center (NARC) on its Instagram account.
Angelika Hanchuk already has experience in Antarctic research: in 2022–2023, she was a participant in the 27th UAE, where she performed meteorological, oceanographic, glaciological, and aerological work. Over the course of a ten-year career in meteorology and climatology, she has gone from a forecaster to the head of the sector of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
Now Hanchuk is engaged in operational forecasting and modeling of dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena to respond to emergencies. As noted by the National Center for Meteorology and Climatology, her work often requires quick decisions in difficult conditions, which requires high stress tolerance.
“In the expedition, Angelika proved herself as a specialist with bright leadership qualities, able to organize various processes and take responsibility. At the same time, she is a team player. That is why, among all the participants of the competition, she was chosen not only to work in the meteorological department, but also to lead the expedition, – noted the director of the National Antarctic Center Yevhen Dyky.
The National Antarctic Center reminds that since 2018, a “gender breakthrough” has taken place in the Ukrainian Antarctic program: during this time, 13 female polar explorers have worked in annual expeditions, and – 11 in seasonal ones.
