Valentina Yanko-Hombach

PRINCIPAL AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

  • Geology with a specialty in marine geology
  • Paleoecology and ecology
  • Paleontology with a specialty in invertebrate paleontology
  • Environmental micropaleontology
  • Foraminifera of intercontinental basins (Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Marmara, Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea, Aral Sea)
  • Foraminifera as indicators of natural and anthropogenic stress
  • Ecotoxicology of foraminifera and their anti-chemical defense mechanisms
  • Marine Quaternary geology and paleoceanography
  • Paleoclimatology, global sea-level changes
  • Quaternary history, paleoceanography, glacial and inreglacial, sapropel and anoxic events
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Geochronology of the Ponto-Caspian in the Quaternary

EDUCATION

1989 – Dr. Sc. [scientific degree of the Doctor “Habilitation”, “venia legendi”] (mineral prospecting, marine stratigraphy, palaeontology, biology).

Thesis: Quaternary Foraminifera of the Pontian-Caspian Region (the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea): taxonomy, biostratigraphy, history, ecology. Department of Palaeontology, Geological Faculty, Moscow M.V. Lomonosov State University, Russia.

There is no equivalent to this academic title in North America – this title qualifies for a full professor position in the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Unlike a Ph.D. thesis, the above thesis must demonstrate novel and independent research without an academic advisor, and must be of substantial benefit to the scientific community.

Several significant publications, including books, are one of the eligibility requirements.

1974 – Ph.D. [original title: Candidate of Sciences] (stratigraphy and palaeontology)

Thesis: Late Quaternary Benthic Foraminifera of the North Western Shelf of the Black Sea. Department of Physical and Marine Geology, Odessa State University, Ukraine.

1970 – MSc (mineral prospecting and marine geology)

Thesis: Late Neogene benthic foraminifera of Ukraine. Department of Physical and Marine Geology, Odessa State University, Ukraine

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2012 – present: Head of the Department of Physical and Marine Geology, Odessa – I.I. Mechnikov National University, Ukraine

2007 – present: Head of the Scientific and Educational Center of Geoarchaeology, Marine and Environmental Geology, Odessa – I.I. Mechnikov National University, Ukraine

1998 – present: President and Head of the Department of Environmental Micropalaeontology, Avalon Institute of Applied Science, Canada

1990 – present: Full Professor, Department of Physical and Marine Geology, Odessa – I.I.Mechnikov National University, Odessa, Ukraine

1996 – 1998: President, Anamet Ltd. Scientific Services, Israel

1992 – 1996: Senior Research Scientist, Institute for Nature Conservation Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

1992 – 1993: Senior Research Scientist, Department of Geophysics and Planetary Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

1980 – 1990: Associate Professor, Department of Physical and Marine Geology, Odessa – I.I.Mechnikov State University, Odessa, USSR

1977 – 1979: Senior Lecturer, Department of Physical and Marine Geology, Odessa – I.I.Mechnikov State University, Odessa, USSR

1974 – 1977: Assistant Professor, Department of Physical and Marine Geology, Odessa – I.I.Mechnikov State University, Odessa, USSR

1970 – 1974: PhD student, Department of Physical and Marine Geology, Odessa – I.I.Mechnikov State University, Odessa, USSR

1965 – 1970: MSc student, Department of Physical and Marine Geology, Odessa – I.I.Mechnikov State University, Odessa, USSR