A competitive recruitment of candidates for polar explorers had been advertised

A competitive recruitment of candidates for polar explorers had been advertised

NASC has been advertised a competitive recruitment of candidates for the 25th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition. To work during the year at Akademik Vernadsky station, a detachment is formed consisting of 6-7 scientists, three persons of engineering and technical staff (diesel operator – electrician, system mechanic, and system administrator), a doctor and a cook.

Competitive requirements do not contain gender restrictions, but due to difficult working conditions, they are age-specific – we invite applicants aged 25 to 45 years. General requirements for competitors – professional experience for at least five years; fluency in English or Spanish; absence of chronic diseases and contraindications to work in extreme Antarctic conditions; ability to work in conditions of deprivation, concessiveness and sociability; absence of bad habits.

The competition will be held in three stages.

The first stage is submission of applications.

First of all, it is necessary to send to NASC e-mail uac@uac.gov.ua the completed application form of a scientist (link) or station specialist (link) as well as copies of the documents listed in the application form of a scientist / specialist.

Deadline for submission of documents is November 30, 2019.

The second stage is an interview, which is assigned to the applicants after reviewing the submitted documents and checking their compliance with the requirements of the competition.

Then, participants admitted to the second stage of the competition should undergo psychological testing with participation of NASC scientists and specialists with the involvement of specialists from specialized institutions of the NAS of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The third stage. The competition commission approves the nominations of future winterers, as well as team of their alternates.  All of them should undergo medical test procedures in a specialized institution; these procedures are organized and financed by NASC.

Applicants who have successfully passed the medical test procedures are enrolled to the expedition and undergo five-day training at the expense of NASC.

The 25th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition will operate at Akademik Vernadsky Station throughout the year: from late March – early April 2020 to April 2021.

Recall that in 2018, for the first time in an open competition, participants of the 24th UAE, which now works in Antarctica, were selected. Last year, 178 people applied for the competition, including 32 women. So, for the first time in 21 years, women have joined the team of winterers; now biologist Oksana Savenko and doctor Nataliia Babii are members of the 24th UAE.