PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor, Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, Ukraine

Natalia Tsybuliak is a PhD in Psychological Sciences and Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Psychology and Speech Therapy at Berdyansk State Pedagogical University. She is also the Head of the Teaching Excellence Centre “ArsDocendi”.

Education and Academic Career

In 2014, she obtained her PhD in Psychological Sciences from the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University. In 2010, she received a Master’s degree in Preschool Education and Practical Psychology, and in 2008 a Bachelor’s degree in the same field from Berdyansk State Pedagogical University.

She began her professional career at Berdyansk State Pedagogical University in 2009. She worked as a Teaching Assistant (2009-2012), Senior Lecturer (2012-2015), and since 2015 has served as an Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Psychology and Speech Therapy. From 2015 to 2018 she held the position of Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Preschool, Special and Social Education.

Since 2020, she has been the Head of the Teaching Excellence Centre “ArsDocendi”, which coordinates professional development programmes for academic staff, promotes the implementation of modern teaching practices, and fosters a culture of academic integrity. Within the Centre’s activities, a number of training programmes are delivered, including course design, trauma-

informed teaching, mental health support for the academic community, and the development of pedagogical excellence among university staff.

Following the outbreak of the full-scale war, the university was temporarily relocated to Zaporizhzhia and currently operates in a remote format. This context has also become an important framework for her research and professional activities.

Research Interests

Natalia Tsybuliak’s research lies at the intersection of psychology, education, and academic ethics. Her main research areas include:

• mental health and well-being of the academic community;

• psychological support for lecturers, researchers, and students in crisis situations;

• institutional resilience of universities in the context of war, forced displacement, and social transformation;

• inclusive education in higher education;

• socio-psychological aspects of migration and forced displacement;

• ethical and social challenges related to the use of generative artificial intelligence in research and academic communication.

A significant part of her research focuses on the mental health of academic staff and researchers during wartime, academic burnout, professional mobility of scholars, and transformations within the academic environment under crisis conditions.

Research Projects and Grants

Natalia Tsybuliak has served as a project leader and researcher in several national and international research projects, including:

• “Mental and Social Health Among Academic Staff in Ukraine During Wartime” (2025-2028) – Project Leader, funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (Grant No. 0125U001388). The project investigates the mental and social health of academic staff at Ukrainian universities during wartime.

• Erasmus+ KA2 Project “Researchers’ Act: Training for Psychological Flexibility & Stress Management” (2024-2027) – Project Leader. The project aims to develop psychological flexibility and stress-management skills among researchers.

• “Ukrainian Universities in New Realities: Impact of War and Scientific Potential” (2024-2026) – Researcher in a project examining the impact of war on the scientific potential of Ukrainian universities.

• National Research Foundation of Ukraine Project “Design of an Inclusive Educational Environment of a Higher Education Institution” (2023-2024) – Research team member involved in developing models of inclusive educational environments in higher education institutions.

• Fulbright Research Project “Post-war Social and Psychological Rehabilitation” (2022-2023) – Researcher in an international project addressing issues of social and psychological rehabilitation in post-conflict societies.

• “Liquidity of the Family Situation of War Refugees from Ukraine” (2022) – Research project at the University of Warsaw focusing on the socio-psychological aspects of the lives of Ukrainian war refugees.

International Academic Activities

Natalia Tsybuliak actively collaborates with international research institutions and universities. Her academic fellowships and research appointments include:

• Non-Resident Academic Associate, Virginia Commonwealth University – Davis Center, Harvard University (2024-2026);

• Visiting Researcher, ZOiS (Centre for East European and International Studies), Berlin (2024-2025);

• DAAD Future Ukraine Fellow, Germany (2024);

• Residential & Non-Residential Fellow, CEFRES – French Research Center in Humanities and Social Sciences, Prague (2023-2024);

• Artes Liberales Fellow, University of Warsaw (2023);

• Documenting Ukraine Fellow, Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), Vienna (2022);

• Non-Residential Fellow, Think Space Ukraine, University of Regensburg (2025).

She has also participated in the Erasmus+ Staff Mobility Programme at Bielefeld University (Germany, 2025) and completed academic training and study visits at universities in the Czech Republic, Poland, and other European countries.

Publications

Natalia Tsybuliak is the author and co-author of numerous academic publications in both international and national journals. Her research has addressed topics such as the mental health of researchers during wartime, academic burnout, social isolation among internally displaced persons, inclusive education, academic freedom, and ethical issues related to the use of generative artificial intelligence in science.