CTR hosts Ukrainian visiting scholar Oleksandr Bondarenko through BridgeUSA program
The University of Tennessee Center for Transportation Research (CTR) hosted Ukrainian visiting scholar Oleksandr (Sasha) Bondarenko during July 2026. Bondarenko is an associate professor in the Electronic Devices and Systems Department at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. He came to UT as a fellow through the BridgeUSA program, a U.S. Department of State-funded initiative administered by the American Councils for International Education. The BridgeUSA program serves to build links between Ukrainian and U.S. scholars for long-term collaboration on joint research, shared pedagogy, course development and publications.
Laying the foundation for long-term collaboration
The primary aim of Bondarenko’s program was to interact with UT faculty and administrators and lay the foundation for long-term engagement. Broad areas of discussion included joint research opportunities, capacity building, and the development of new courses and course material. One overarching area for future collaborations will center on resilience and technology in a post-crisis context.
During his program, Bondarenko spent time with CTR Director Kevin Heaslip to discuss immediate and future academic partnerships.
“The USABridge Ukraine Program not only serves as a valuable immediate resource for higher education colleagues in Ukraine during very challenging times but also promotes the development of long-term fruitful partnerships that will thrive well beyond the end of the conflict with Russia,” Heaslip said.
Interdisciplinary engagement and lab tours at UT EECS
In addition to his time at CTR, Bondarenko spent substantial time at the UT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). Associate Professor JiangBiao He was instrumental in creating a weeklong program at EECS that included a presentation by Bondarenko to EECS faculty, as well as one-on-one meetings and facility tours.
“We have enjoyed the constructive conversations with Dr. Bondarenko about the potential research and teaching collaborations between UTK and National Tech University of Ukraine,” He said. “I’m glad that Dr. Bondarenko had a chance to talk with a number of our faculty colleagues in different engineering disciplines at UTK, including electrical engineering, computer engineering, civil engineering and others.”
Bondarenko also serves as the director for a newly established center of excellence at his university that focuses on industry engagement and tech transfer in areas related to electronics for telecommunications and low power-supply devices. Meetings with Kusum Rathore, vice president for the UT Research Foundation, and Rickey McCallum, executive vice president of the Division of Innovation Partnerships and Economic Development in ORIED and vice president of business development for the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm were also included in his program and both were able to offer insight that Bondarenko will no doubt find valuable in his new role.
A growing tradition of partnership
Notably, this is the second fellow CTR has hosted through the BridgeUSA program. In 2024, CTR hosted Vladyslav Panchenko, vice-rector for research and education and associate professor in the Department of Electrical Energy, Electrical Engineering and Electromechanics at the Ukrainian State University of Railway Transport. That visit launched a productive relationship between the institutions that continues today.
About the BridgeUSA Ukraine Program
The BridgeUSA Ukraine Program for Resilience and Reconstruction builds links between Ukrainian and U.S. scholars for long-term collaboration on joint research, shared pedagogy, course development and publications. By fostering lasting and productive partnerships of Ukrainian universities with U.S. institutions of higher education, these programs aim to help educate and train professionals critical to Ukraine’s capacity to recover and rebuild.
The program includes a month-long visit to a U.S. university where scholars may engage in research, observe classes in their field of study, develop new courses or course materials, deliver presentations and lectures, explore U.S. higher education administrative policies and culture, and attend conferences in their academic fields.
