The Ukrainian Antarctic expedition will be led for the first time by a woman — meteorologist Anzhelika Hanchuk

Meteorologist Anzhelika Hanchuk will lead the 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition to the Akademik Vernadskyi Station in 2026-2027. This is the first time a woman will lead a year-long Ukrainian expedition to Antarctica.

This was reported by the National Antarctic Science Center.

Anzhelika Hanchuk already has experience working at the Akademik Vernadskyi station: in 2022-2023, she participated in the 27th expedition as a meteorologist. At that time, she was engaged in meteorological, oceanographic, glaciological, and aerological research.

Director of the National Center for Antarctic Research Yevhen Dykyi noted that during her work in Antarctica, Hanchuk proved herself not only as a strong specialist, but also as a leader, able to organize the work of the team and take responsibility for complex decisions. That is why she was chosen as the expedition leader.

According to the center, since 2018, 13 women have worked in Ukraineʼs annual Antarctic expeditions, and another 11 have participated in seasonal missions.

Anzhelika Hanchuk was born in 1994. She graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with a degree in meteorology and climatology, holds bachelorʼs and masterʼs degrees with honors. Since 2016, she has worked as a weather forecaster at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center of the State Emergency Service, and also conducted weather forecasts on the Kyiv TV channel.

After returning from Antarctica, she headed the numerical modeling and forecasting sector at the “Ukrhydrometeorological” Center. Currently, she is engaged in the implementation of modern weather forecasting models, the integration of satellite data, and the adaptation of international methods to Ukrainian conditions.

• In early December, the first penguin chick of the season was born near the Akademik Vernadskyi Station. Polar explorers say the baby hatched quite early — in previous years, this only happened in mid-December.

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