About us
Project summary and background
The University of Reading (UoR) and the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP) have a strong and sustained partnership, grounded in a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2020. Since then, our collaboration has grown through a series of impactful joint projects.
From March 2023 to September 2024, we worked together on a UUK‑funded initiative, Capacity Building of Ukrainian Researchers for Sustainable Livelihoods, which strengthened research and socio‑economic development capabilities across both institutions. A BBSRC institutional linkages grant further deepened our cooperation in research and innovation. Building on this we are currently collaborating on an EIT Food Collaborate Grant in regenerative agriculture.
We are also leading initiatives to strengthen women’s leadership in Ukraine. Through the British Council’s Going Global Gender Equity Partnerships grants (2023 and 2024), we are advancing gender equity in Ukrainian higher education and contributing to the British Council’s wider goal of building inclusive, globally connected education systems.
Our current project builds on the progress of the previous year, focusing on key priorities identified earlier and expanding our impact at a national level. This includes creating accessible online resources, many of which are available on this site.
Research team
Professor Sarah Cardy is an expert in gender, inequalities and social inclusion and exclusion in the International Development Department, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading. She is an interdisciplinary social scientist who specialises in communication for development, gender and inequalities, and knowledge systems in agriculture.
Dr Karen Jones is Associate Professor Educational Leadership & Management at the Institute of Education, University of Reading. Karen holds senior leadership responsibilities as Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in Research Lead and Director of the Doctorate in Education, and she was formerly a member of the Senior Management Group of the Institute of Education. Karen’s research is in gender equality, women’s career advancement and leadership. She researches and publishes extensively on issues affecting women’s careers and the underrepresentation of women in leadership, predominantly but not exclusively within higher education around the world.
Professor Yuliia Nehoda is Director of the Scientific and Educational Institute of Lifelong Learning, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. She has extensive experience in research, teaching, and institutional leadership. Her work focuses on gender and leadership in education, and she serves as a gender advisor to organizations committed to advancing inclusive and equitable practices.
Through her research and advisory work, Yuliia contributes to strengthening women’s leadership and promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in education and beyond. She brings together academic insight and practical engagement to support meaningful and sustainable change.
Yuliia believes in the power of public dialogue and draws strength and inspiration from international collaboration, travel, and the arts.
Dr. Oleksandr Labenko
Affiliation: National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv
Field of Expertise: Environmental Economics
Dr. Labenko serves as Vice-Rector for Internationalisation at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, where he has also been an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Economics since 2004. His research focuses on environmental cost-benefit analysis related to agricultural water use, with a growing emphasis on addressing water demand challenges brought on by climate change.