From Anti-Corruption Expert to Postdoctoral Fellow: A Story of Resilience Amidst War and Displacement
Olha Chernovol was a successful lawyer and scholar with a Ph.D. in Law who left Kyiv in March 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She is completing a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Ottawa in Canada, where she works with Professor Jennifer Quaid on research exploring non-trial resolutions in anti-corruption matters.
On February 24, 2022, the world changed as the Russian army invaded Ukraine. For the first time since the 1990s, a major land war had broken out on the European continent. Suddenly, my homeland, my future, and my life were imperiled by Vladimir Putin’s imperial expansion.
Prior to that horrible day, I had embarked on a long journey towards establishing myself as a professional. In 2014, while studying Management of Public Finance at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, I pursued two other Master's programs concurrently: a Master's in Economic Law at Taras Shevchenko and a Master's in Intellectual Property at KROK University, Ukraine. Subsequently, I obtained my Ph.D. in Law in 2019, focusing on the legal rights and duties of citizens, as well as the various theoretical models of lawful provision and implementation.
Over the past several years, I have worked primarily on matters related to integrity, due diligence, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and financing terrorism in her role as a Project Coordinator at COSA LLC and as an Executive Director at the NGO ‘Transparent Democracy.’ Since 2020, I have been a member of the Ukrainian National Bar Association, and she has seven years of experience in legal practice in different areas of law in Ukraine, including civil law, corporate law, administrative law, criminal law, tax law, banking law, military law and labour law.
“Despite the immense challenges I faced due to the conflict in Ukraine, I remained steadfast in my commitment to fighting corruption. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue pursuing my passion for anti-corruption work through my postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Ottawa.”
However, one day all these achievements were devalued due to the threat of staying in the country where they were received. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I made the difficult decision to leave Ukraine and my mother through life-threatening factors. At the time, it was almost impossible to predict how the conflict would evolve and combined with the fact that I knew I was at increased risk because of my professional work as an anti-corruption expert.
On March 7, 2022, I crossed the Ukrainian border close to Poland. I stayed with a friend in Warsaw for two days as I tried to buy a train ticket to my intended final destination, Germany, where I spent three months as a refugee with little in the way of possessions or official documentation. At the same time, during my stay in Germany, I learned about a particular visa program set up by Canada for displaced Ukrainians – the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel. So I applied for and obtained an emergency visa under the program. Altogether, I started searching for job opportunities outside of Ukraine because I knew I could not safely return to my previous jobs while the war continued.
In July 2022, I began my position as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law, under the supervision of Professor Jennifer Quaid. Through a network of Canadian academics and Transparency Canada International, I was connected with Dr. Quaid, an Associate Professor and Vice-Dean of Research in the Civil Law Section. Dr. Quaid is an internationally recognized expert on economic crime and corporate criminal liability, and is currently leading a multi-year comparative study on the use of non-trial resolutions in anti-corruption enforcement. This project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), of which Dr. Quaid is a holder of an SSHRC Insight Grant. As a result of this grant, I was awarded one year of funding to work as a postdoctoral fellow on her project. This funding was made possible through the Special Response Fund for Researchers from Ukraine, a one-time program created by SSHRC.
Olga with Professor Jennifer Quaid at the University of Ottawa
As a member of Dr. Quaid's research team, I focus on anti-corruption enforcement. This involves exploring the risks associated with legal and institutional members of anti-corruption policy, as well as conducting a comparative study of non-trial resolution mechanisms in corruption matters. My specific goal is to identify ways of improving Canadian legislation on remediation agreements to better guard against corruption risks. This work is a fitting continuation of the kind of work I had been doing in Ukraine.
As a postdoctoral fellow, I was fortunate to have been given an office space inside the Human Rights Research and Education Centre. This allowed me to meet and interact with graduate students and scholars who were also based there, as well as the executive team of the Centre, including John Packer (Director) and Viviana Fernandez (Assistant Director). With their support and encouragement, I joined the Scholar-at-Risk program shortly after my arrival.
It's been over a year since the conflict in Ukraine began, and there still isn't a clear end in sight. While some progress has been made in diplomatic negotiations, there is still much work to be done to reach a lasting peace agreement. The ongoing violence has taken a heavy toll on the citizens of Ukraine, with many forced to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. The international community has also been closely monitoring the situation, with various countries imposing sanctions and providing aid to those affected by the conflict. Despite these efforts, the situation in Ukraine remains a complex and difficult one, with no easy solutions in sight.
My journey from anti-corruption expert to postdoctoral fellow in Canada has been a challenging but rewarding experience. Despite the immense challenges I faced due to the conflict in Ukraine, I remained steadfast in my commitment to fighting corruption. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue pursuing my passion for anti-corruption work through my postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Ottawa.
My story is a reminder of the importance of supporting those who have been displaced by war. The ongoing Russian agression in Ukraine has forced many to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. It is crucial that we come together to provide aid and support to those in need.
I am honored to be able to share my story, and I hope that it will inspire others to persevere in the face of adversity. Despite the challenges we may face, we can still make a positive impact in the world. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue pursuing my passion for anti-corruption work, and I remain committed to making a difference in the lives of those affected by conflict and displacement.
