Ukraine has lost 18% of its scientists due to the war

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - 18% of Ukraine's scientists have fled due to the war and research capacity is down 20%, according to researchers in a study where they urge stakeholders to plan future policies to ensure the return of talent for rebuilding Ukraine. Until the early morning of February 24th, 2022, Ukrainian scientist Olena Iarmosh did not believe there would be a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Iarmosh grew up and had settled in Kharkiv, her beloved city in Eastern Ukraine and only 40 km away from the Russian border, where she worked for more than 16 years as a lecturer in higher education before fleeing to Switzerland. At approximately 5AM, she awoke to the sounds of bombing, hoping that they were merely the loud sounds of technical maintenance at the local power plant. "My city looks worse now after the bombing than after two occupations by German troops," says Iarmosh. Iarmosh remained steadfast in her apartment throughout the bombardment for nine days before fleeing westward, first in western Ukraine, until the bombing started there too. She then fled to Switzerland, all the while ensuring her teaching duties online, and eventually landed a temporary position at EPFL with Gaétan de Rassenfosse.