SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS
One area of my research is the family Eulophidae, the most numerous group of Chalcidoidea (ca. 4470 described species). The taxonomy of this group is relatively poorly understood. Eulophids attack wide variety of insect, and occasionally mite or spider hosts. Their larvae act as koino- or idiobionts, gregarious or solitary, ecto- or endoparasitoids; they attack eggs, larvae or pupae of their hosts. Some species are phytophagous (chiefly gall-formers on eucalypts).
Another area of my interests is fossil Chalcidoidea. Chalcids are relatively poorly known from the fossils. The amber inclusions are probably the only source for such fossil data because of minute size and weak body sclerotization of these insects. The records of Eulophidae from ambers are rare. Boucek & Askew (1968) briefly mentioned Entedon sp. from Dominican amber, however, without exact identification of the amber specimen. Then Gumovsky (2001) recorded two eulophids also from Dominican amber (Chrysonotomyia dominicana and Achrysocharoides sp.). Some amber insect inclusions are classified in Tetracampidae: namely this family is among the most represented ones in fossil resins. However, clarification of the correct family affiliation of fossil tetracampids requires additional studies. The placement of fossil groups in Tetracampidae was likely motivated by the conventional concept of this family as intermediate between Pteromalidae and Eulophidae, and thus serving as a “dumping ground” for the species with problematic status. Other my research interests include functional morphology of attachment and grooming structures in Hymenoptera. One of the structures is the pretarsus, that serves as the main attachment device. The pretarsus of Chalcidoidea is characterized by a distal elastic widening of the planta that spreads over the arcus, by a pair of folding plates at the dorsal side of the arolium (the dorsal plates), and by the absence of auxiliary sclerites. The surface of the fully spread arolium of chalcids has a spongiform structure. The peculiarities of the inverting/everting biomechanics of the pretarsus of chalcids involve: (1) interactions between the elastic part of the planta, the dorsal plates and the manubrium; (2) the functioning of the elastic part of the planta and the arcus together as a single unit.
All these studies incorporate morphological, biological or molecular information into analyses that are used to produce hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships and the evolution of behavioral patterns. Although phylogenetic relationships of Chalcidoidea are not yet well established, there are some major items that have been established. Gibson (1986) demonstrated sister-group relationships of Mymaridae and remaining Chalcidoidea, and proposed a sister-group relationship between Mymarommatidae and Chalcidoidea (Gibson 1999). Noyes (1990) proposed an intuitive phylogeny of Chalcidoidea suggesting the so-named “pteromalid” and “eulophid” lineages, with Mymaridae and some putatively related groups (Rotoitidae, Tetracampidae) as a sister group to the above mentioned lineages. Research on functional morphology of Hymenoptera has been used for phylogenetic interpretation. Gibson (1985) and Heraty et al. (1997) discussed the phylogenetic implications of some pro- and mesothoracic structures. Basibuyuk et al. also inferred phylogenetic information from the morphology of the antennal cleaner (1995), hamuli (1997) and grooming behaviours (1999). Basibuyuk et al. (2000a) also discussed peculiarities of the structure and location of the sensilla on the manubrium in Hymenoptera in light of established hypotheses of relationships within Hymenoptera. Gladun & Gumovsky (2006) demonstrated that character-state distribution of features of the pretarsus among studied taxa support some established groups or proposed associations of Chalcidoidea. The evolution of host associations and peculiarities of host shifts during natural history of the group, are fascinating areas of research. Such studies are also of paramount importance to biocontrol programs: this demonstrates the utility and impact of systematics to almost every area of science. Fellowships and research visits2009 - Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA: a study of collection material. 2009 - University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Entomology, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA: a workshop with students and a study of collection material. 2009 - Hawaii Deapartment of Agriculture, Honolulu, USA, a collaborative project on invasive bruchid beetle pests and their parasitoids. 2009 - ICIPE, Nairobi, Kenya: a study of collection material 2008 - Mugla University, Mugla, Turkey: workshop with students, a study of collection material, collaborative research and field trips. 2008 - University of Dakar, Senegal: a study of collection material, collaborative research and field trips. 2007 - Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Turkey: a study of collection material, collaborative research and field trips 2006 - Paleontological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russia): a study of fossil chalcidoids. 2005 - Entomology Research Museum, University of California (Riverside, USA): a study of collection material. 2005 - The Natural History Museum (London, UK): a study of collection material, molecular studies on eulophid wasps. 2004 - Naturkunde Museum (Stuttgart, Germany): a study of chalcidoid inclusions in fossil resins. 2004 - Zoologische Staatssammlung (Munchen, Germany): a study of collection material. 2004 - Max-Planck Institute for Metal Research (Stuttgart, Germany): a study on functional morphology of chalcids. 2003 - European Station of CABI Bioscience (Delemont, Switzerland): biocontrol project management. 2000 - CIRAD-Amis (Montpellier, France): a study of collection material. 2000 - Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris, France): a study of collection material. 2000 - Zoological Muzeum, University of Copenhagen (Denmark): a study of collection material. 2000 - The Natural History Museum (London, UK): a study of collection material. 2000 - Imperial College at Silwood Park (Ascot, UK): molecular studies on eulophid wasps. 1998 - Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences (St.-Petersburg, Russia): a study of collection material. 1996 - Regional Environmental Center for Eastern and Central Europe (Budapest, Hungary): nature conservation project management. Scientific grants2007- 2009 - Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, research fellowship award. 2006 - TUBITAK / NASU Academic Exchange grant. 2005 - SYNTHESYS Project (GB–TAF–535). 2004 - DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service, grant No. 322 – A/04/15867). 2001 - SFFR (The State Fund of Fundamental Research (Ukraine)) grant 05.07/00078. 2000 - European Commission research grant (under COBICE-programme). 1999 - Royal Society / NATO Grant (NATO/ 99A/bll). Awards2002-2004 - President of Ukraine Scholarship for young scientists. 1997, 1998 - George Soros Foundation (International Foundation Vidrodgenia) grants. 1996 - The National Academy of sciences of Ukraine award for young scientists. 1997 - Travel grant of the International Association of Academies of Sciences. 1995 - Taras Shevchenko’s award of Kiev National University. 1995 - Special student award of Kiev National University. Participation in international projects on phylogeny and taxonomy2005-2009 - Tree of Life Project: Phylogeny of Chalcidoidea (superviser Prof. J. Heraty, University of California, Riverside). Contribution to the project: phylogeny of Eulophidae, Tetracampidae. 2006 - A project “Identifications of taxa of Entedoninae (Hym.: Eulophidae) from Turkey by using molecular DNA markers” supported by TUBITAK / NASU Academic Joint Research grant, in collaboration with Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Turkey. Contribution to the project: taxonomic and phylogenetic studies. Nature conservation grants / Projects1997 - Biodiversity Support Program (U.S.A.I.D. - funded consortium of World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and World Resources Institute): “Studying on and conservation of beneficial insects (Hymenoptera mainly) of the National Park “Podol’s’ki Tovtry” (South-Western Ukraine) [Project Director]. 1994 - ISAR, a Clearinghouse on Grassroots Cooperation in Eurasia: “Biodiversity survey in the nature reserve "Lesniki" (Kiev vicinity)” [Project Director]. Participation in biocontrol projects2009 - A project on biology of an invasive bruchid beetle pest Specularius impressithorax and its hymenopterous parasitoids (with Hawaii Deapartment of Agriculture, Honolulu, USA). Project contribution: studies biology, development and taxonomy of the beetle and its parasitoids. 2003-2005 - A project on approaches to control invasive moth pest Cameraria ohridella (curated by Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, Kiev, Ukraine). Project contribution: studies on biology and taxonomy of the parasitoids of the moth. 2002-2004 - Institutional Partnership project ‘‘Emphasising Classical and Conservation Biological Control in Research and Teaching’’ (7 IP 65648). Project contribution: preparation of manuals on biocontrol; lectures and studies on biology of biocontrol agents (beetles and parasitoids). 2001-2002 - A project on approaches to control invasive moth pest Acrocercops brongniardella (curated by Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, Kiev, Ukraine). Project contribution: studies on biology and taxonomy of the parasitoids of the moth. FieldworkUkraine (1995-2007) England, France (2000) Turkey (2007, 2008) Senegal (2008) Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya (2009) Hawaii (2009) ServicesAnonymous referee in “Zoosystematica Rossica", "Entomotropica", "Zootaxa", “Journal of Natural history”. Languages Ukrainian (native), Russian (second native), English (fluent), German (functional). SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
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My research focuses
on the systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of the Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera).
Chalcidoid wasps is one of the largest groups of insects: there are about as 100,000
described species, but many are still undescribed and regional faunas are also
poorly known. Some of chalcids are specialist, but many are also generalist parasitoids;
lots are used in successful biological control programs against insect pests.
A second area of research
is the family Tetracampidae. This is a small family with about 50 described
species classified in 15 genera. The extant groups of the family are represented
by egg parasitoids of Hymenoptera and Coleoptera (Tetracampinae), larval parasitoids
of Diptera (Tetracampinae, Platynocheilinae), and phytophagous species (Mongolocampinae).
Unlike Eulophidae, the Tetracampidae look rather arteficial than natural group
in its current concept.
There are many reasons
for the comparatively modest progress in this area: poor condition of the amber
samples, minute diagnostic characters not visible in amber specimens, poor representation
of the chalcids in amber fossils (in comparison with other groups of insects),
to list some.
My current research
in this field focuses on a survey of chalcid inclusions in the Canadian and Taymyr
(Cretaceous, 80-90 million years ago), Baltic (Late Eocene, about 40 million years
ago) and Dominican (Miocene, about 20 million years ago) ambers. 
A
manubrium with a distinct proximal row of three setae characterizes almost all
Eulophidae, Aphelinidae and Signiphoridae (‘eulophid lineage’) and Tetracampidae,
whereas a row of two setae characterizes Mymaridae, Rotoitidae and Trichogrammatidae.
Other studied families (Pteromalidae, Eurytomidae, Torymidae, Ormyridae, Eupelmidae,
Encyrtidae, Perilampidae), which represent a ‘pteromalid lineage ’, are characterized
mostly by five setae in a proximal row, which could represent a synapomorphy for
these groups, or a symplesiomorphy in Chalcidoidea, depending on rooting. However,
these characters may be correlated with differences in body size that characterize
the different lineages rather than being phylogenetically important. Other characters
that may be phylogenetically informative are: (1) shape of the manubrium (spindle-like
in Mymaridae, Rotoitidae, Trichogrammatidae and the ‘eulophid lineage’, but mostly
bottle-like in representatives of the ‘pteromalid lineage’); (2) pubescence of
the proximal part of the planta (sparse, thick setae in Rotoitidae, Trichogrammatidae
and the ‘eulophid lineage’, but dense, slender setae in representatives of the
‘pteromalid lineage’). 
One more area of my
research interests include morphology of immature stages of Chalcidoidea
and all aspects of biology and evolution of egg-larval parasitism in Chalcidoidea,
which are rather fragmentary up-to-date. Most discussions on larval morphology
and biology of chalcid wasps concern ectoparasitoids, whereas endoparasitoid larvae
traditionally attract less attention, mainly due to the difficulties with their
preparation and identification. 
Molecular studies
on Chalcidoidea are in progress, and expected to contribute significantly to the
overall phylogeny of the group. Campbell et al. (2000) substantiated a sister-group
relationship between Mymaridae and the rest of Chalcidoidea and indicated monophyly
of Eulophidae, which was subsequently supported by Gauthier et al. (2000), Gumovsky
(2002) and largely by Sha et al. (2006). However, relationships between chalcid
families and their monophyly remain obscure. Some morphologically diverse and
poorly defined groups such as Pteromalidae and Aphelinidae appear polyphyletic
in trees based on molecular data, as might be expected based on their morphological
diversity.