Curriculum vitae

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

2022–present

Visiting Research Scientist (Teaching and Research)

Department of Physics, Grainger College of Engineering

https://physics.illinois.edu

Research in general relativity and black hole physics. Teaching faculty for PHYS 225, 211, 212. Co-PI on NSF grant. First ISAR (Illinois Scholars at Risk) scholar.

• Course Director, PHYS 225 (Special Relativity & Mathematical Applications), 200+ students
• Co-PI, NSF PHY Grant No. 2409726 (2024–present)
• Member, Witek Gravity Group; Member, ICASU; Associate Member, LISA Consortium

Silesian University in Opava

2019–2022

Visiting Professor

Institute of Physics and Research Centre of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, Faculty of Philosophy and Science

Series of 3–5 month visits each year and remote collaboration.

• Research on inhomogeneous cosmological models and black hole solutions

Silesian University in Opava

2016–2017

Assistant Professor

Scientific Research Center of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, Faculty of Philosophy and Science

Joint Institute for Nuclear Research

2015–2016

Visiting Professor

Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics

Dubna, Russia

Dnipropetrovsk National University (DNU)

2006–2015

Associate Professor

Theoretical Physics Department

Dnipro, Ukraine

• Teaching General Physics, Gravitation and Cosmology, Nonlinear Dynamics
• Supervised multiple Master's and undergraduate students

National Mining University

2003–2006

Teaching Assistant

Physics Department

Dnipro, Ukraine

Center of Technology Commercialization

2001–2003

Patent Expert

Dnipro, Ukraine

Dnipropetrovsk National University (DNU)

2000–2006

Theoretical Physics Department

Dnipro, Ukraine

Field

Physical and Mathematical Sciences: Theoretical Physics

Degree

PhD in Physics

Thesis

Cosmological and astrophysical models with cosmological constant

Supervisor

Prof. Maria Korkina

Dnipropetrovsk National University (DNU)

1995–2000

Theoretical Physics Department

Dnipro, Ukraine

Field

Theoretical Physics

Degree

Undergraduate Diploma (BSc+MSc equivalent), with honors

Black Hole Probes of Beyond-Standard Model Particles and Fields

2024–present

Funder

National Science Foundation

Grant

NSF PHY 2409726

Co-PI

Award

$240,000

Visiting International Fellowship in Physical Sciences

2016–2017

Funder

Silesian University in Opava

Fellow

National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine program 'Cosmomicrophysics'

2007–2013

Funder

National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Member

LISA Consortium

2023–present

Associate Member

Illinois Center for Advanced Studies of the Universe (ICASU), UIUC

2023–present

Member

American Physical Society (APS), DGRAV Division

2024–present

Member

Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network

2023–present

Member

Witek Gravity Group, UIUC

2023–present

Member

PHYS 225 - Special Relativity & Mathematical Applications

UIUC

Course Director, Main Lecturer

PHYS 212 - Electricity & Magnetism

UIUC

Course Instructor, Second Lecturer

PHYS 211 - Classical Mechanics

UIUC

Discussion Coordinator; Discussion TA

PHYS 497 - Individual Study (Undergraduate)

UIUC

Instructor

General Physics

Dnipropetrovsk National University

Course Director, Main Lecturer (Physics); Discussion Instructor (Mathematics)

Gravitation and Cosmology

Dnipropetrovsk National University

Discussion TA

Physical Principles of IT and CS

Dnipropetrovsk National University

Course Director, Main Lecturer

Fundamentals of Physics and CS

Dnipropetrovsk National University

Course Director, Main Lecturer

Nuclear and Atomic Physics (lab practicum)

Dnipropetrovsk National University

Lab Instructor

Nonlinear Dynamics (lab)

Dnipropetrovsk National University

Lab Instructor

D. Garzon

2023–present

UIUC

Research

Superradiance in cosmological spacetimes

Co-supervisor

• 2025 ICASU Graduate Fellowship
• AAUW Fellowship (2024–2025)
• Mavis Future Faculty Fellowship (2024)

I. Bormotova

2017–present

Silesian University in Opava

Research

New inhomogeneous spherically symmetric solutions of the Einstein equations and their implications for cosmological and astrophysical problems

Supervisor

Collaboration with IEAP, Czech Technical University in Prague

P. Jaluvkova

2015–2018

Silesian University in Opava

Research

Black holes in the cosmological background

Supervisor

K. Roberts

Summer-Fall 2026

UIUC

Research

Shadow of the One-Component Uncharged Kiselev Black Hole

Undergraduate research

Supervisor

Z. Zeng

Spring-Fall 2025

UIUC

Research

Derivation of a conformally flat metric for a generalized Schwarzschild-like solution

PHYS 497 (Spring 2025); undergraduate research (Summer-Fall 2025)

Supervisor

• Ralph O. Simmons Undergraduate Research Scholarship (Summer 2025)

Yi Zhang

UIUC

Horizon structure of the spacetime of the charged black hole surrounded by domain walls (PHYS 497, Spring 2024); Project II: Quasinormal modes for charged scalar scattering off a charged black hole surrounded by domain walls (undergraduate research, Summer-Fall 2024)

Supervisor

Outcome

Accepted offer from the Physics graduate program at UIUC (Spring 2025)

S. Gupta

Summer 2023; Summer 2024

UIUC

Research

Shadows of cosmological black holes I and II

Supervisor

• 2023 Lorella M. Jones Summer Research Award

A. Hradyskyi

2014

Dnipropetrovsk National University (DNU)

Research

Possible explanation for dark matter in the Universe

Master diploma project

Supervisor

S. Vasilieva

2013

Dnipropetrovsk National University (DNU)

Research

Friedmann models with positive spatial curvature

Master diploma project

Supervisor

V. Krivosheina

2012

Dnipropetrovsk National University (DNU)

Research

Influence of different types of matter on the CMB anisotropy spectrum

Master diploma project

Supervisor

Visualizing Spacetime: Supercomputer Simulations of Black Hole Coalescence

Summer 2025

Students

• • Name. SriRitvik Yellamilli
  • School. Metea Valley High School
  • Classof. 2027
• • Name. Maddie Smith
  • School. Southland College Prep Charter High School
  • Classof. 2026

WYSE Summer of STEMM Young Scholars Research Program, Grainger College of Engineering and Carle-Illinois College of Medicine

Mentor

Colliding Black Holes on Supercomputers

Summer 2024

Students

• • Name. Jyotsna Velu
  • School. Adlai E. Stevenson High School
  • Classof. 2026
• • Name. Xavier Kader
  • School. Lane Tech College Prep High School
  • Classof. 2027

WYSE Summer of STEMM Young Scholars Research Program, Grainger College of Engineering and Carle-Illinois College of Medicine

Mentor

Approaching Dirty Black Holes

2026-04-01

Astrophysics, Relativity, and Cosmology Seminar

ICASU, UIUC Physics

Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA

invited

Jeans equations with account of gravitational field correlations

2022-01-01

Institute of Physics Seminar

Silesian University in Opava

Czech Republic

invited

Generalized LTB solution with nonzero pressure in modeling of cosmological black holes

2022-01-01

Institute of Physics Seminar

Silesian University in Opava

Czech Republic

invited

Luminosity distance within inhomogeneous cosmological models

2021-01-01

Institute of Physics Seminar

Silesian University in Opava

Czech Republic

invited

Particle and photon trajectories near a black hole immersed in dust

2016-01-01

Seminar in Modern Mathematical Physics

BLTP, JINR

Dubna, Russia

invited

Variable spatial curvature and accelerated cosmological expansion

2015-01-01

Seminar in Modern Mathematical Physics

BLTP, JINR

Dubna, Russia

invited

The motion of the neutral particle with orbital momentum near extremely charged black hole

2010-01-01

Seminar

Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics

Kyiv, Ukraine

invited

Quasi-classical neutral particle in extremely charged black hole field

2010-01-01

Summer School in Cosmology

ICTP

Trieste, Italy

invited

Influence of the cosmological constant on the dynamics of a shear-free ideal liquid sphere

2010-01-01

Astro Space Centre Seminar

Lebedev Physical Institute

Moscow, Russia

invited

Course Proposal for PHYS 226: Mathematical Methods for Physics, Department of Physics, UIUC

2025–2026

Lead Developer

Astrophysics, Relativity, and Cosmology Seminar, Department of Physics, UIUC

2024–2026

Co-organizer

Interdisciplinary Seminar for Natural Sciences, DNU, Dnipro, Ukraine

2006–2008

Co-organizer and Chair

Seminar on Theoretical Physics, National Mining University, Dnipro, Ukraine

2003–2006

Co-organizer

Invited Lecture: Baryogenesis

2025-07-01

PHYS 403, UIUC

invited lecture

Invited Talk: The Human Side of Physics

2025-04-01

Society of Physics Students Speaker Series, UIUC

public talk

Invited Lecture: Carrying Two Realities

2025-03-01

OLLI, UIUC

public lecture

Invited Talk: My Family and War

2024-12-01

Illinois Club Cosmopolitan Group

public talk

Invited Lecture: Gravitational Waves

2024-07-01

PHYS 403, UIUC

invited lecture

Invited Lecture: Cosmic Strings, Domain Walls and the Cosmological Vacuum

2024-03-01

PHYS 403, UIUC

invited lecture

Invited Lecture: Cosmology

2023-09-01

PHYS 403, UIUC

invited lecture

Invited Lecture: Accelerated Expansion of the Universe

2023-06-01

PHYS 403, UIUC

invited lecture

Invited Talk: Family and War

2023-01-01

Illinois Global Institute Speaker Series

public talk

Mentor, WYSE Young Scholars Research Program

2024-06-01

Colliding Black Holes on Supercomputers

mentorship

Mentor, WYSE Young Scholars Research Program

2025-06-01

Visualizing Spacetime: Supercomputer Simulations of Black Hole Coalescence

mentorship

Computer Algebra & Typesetting

Mathematica; LaTeX

Programming

Working knowledge

Python; Numerical analysis; Scientific visualization

Reading, modifying, and validating research scripts; numerical analysis and visualization.

Machine Learning (training)

Trained

AutoEncoders; VAEs; GANs; CycleGANs; Diffusion Models; PyTorch

AI Training Seminar Series, Center for AI Innovation, NCSA-UIUC, Fall 2025. Electronic badge awarded.

AI agents, HPC, and LLMs (training)

Trained

AI agents for research/HPC; Machine learning on accelerators; DiamondHPC.AI; LLM fine-tuning; LLM deployment

Regional Workshop on AI, NCSA-UIUC, 2026. Hands-on training.

Patents and intellectual property

Patent expertise; Intellectual property

Legacy / prior exposure

Pascal; BASIC; VB.NET

AI Training Seminar Series

2025

Center for AI Innovation, NCSA-UIUC

Autoencoders and VAEs; GANs; CycleGANs; Diffusion models in PyTorch

Credential

Electronic badge

Regional Workshop on AI

2026

NCSA-UIUC

Hands-on training

AI agents for research/HPC; Machine learning on accelerators; DiamondHPC.AI; LLM fine-tuning and deployment

All Ways (Vse dorogi)

2016

Language

Russian

Moscow

Pages

408

poetry

White Beasts (Belye zveri)

2002

Language

Russian

Dnipropetrovsk University Press

Pages

27

ISBN

966-551-100-9

poetry

Tales

2000

Language

Russian

Miniature Poetry Library 'Chetverg', St. Petersburg

Pages

16

poetry

The Mass Function Method

2012

Workbook for cosmology

M.P. Korkina; E.M. Kopteva

Dnipropetrovsk National University Press

textbook

Studying the Magnetoelasticity Effect

2005

Workbook for general physics course, solid state physics section

E.M. Kopteva; Ye.A. Yakunin; A.V. Chernay

National Mining University Press

lab manual

Studying the temperature dependence of resistance of the semiconductor and finding its forbidden band

2005

Workbook for general physics course, solid state physics section

E.M. Kopteva; Ye.A. Yakunin; A.V. Chernay; A.V. Podlyatskaya

National Mining University Press

lab manual

Ukrainian

Native

Russian

Native

English

Fluent

Czech

Advanced

Visual arts

Painting (formal training); Scientific illustration; Visual design

Portfolio on website

Literature and poetry

Three published poetry books