Karazin University Student Named a Laureate of the “Young Person of the Year 2026” Competition

15 september 2026 year

Education, Science, International activities

Sofiia Baletska, a student of the School of Physics at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, has been named a laureate of the city competition “Young Person of the Year 2026” in the category “Students of Higher Education Institutions”.

The award recognises the achievements of young people from Kharkiv in education, science, civic engagement, and other areas of public life. During her studies at Karazin University, Sofiia has been actively engaged in research and has represented Ukrainian youth and Kharkiv at the international level. She has completed research internships and participated in research projects at CERN, DESY, the University of Oxford, and Ontario Tech University. The results of her research have also been published in international academic journals.

Among Sofiia’s achievements are the international Optica Women Scholars award, participation in international scientific schools and conferences, as well as experience working on cutting-edge research in physics and detector technologies.

Representing Ukraine abroad and participating in initiatives aimed at supporting Ukrainian science and young people are also an important part of her activities.

“It is especially meaningful for me to receive this award from my home city of Kharkiv. I am very grateful for this recognition and for the support of young people who continue to study, pursue research, and represent Ukraine around the world,” said Sofiia Baletska.

We congratulate Sofiia on this achievement and wish her continued success in research, new opportunities, and further accomplishments!