Web site: https://genetics.univer.kharkov.ua/

The department was founded in 1933 by professor, corresponding member of Soviet Union Academy of Sciences, V.L. Ryzhkov as the department of general biology and genetics. The department got the name “Department of Genetics and Cytology” when professor V.G. Shakhbasov became the head of the department. Physiological, biophysical and molecular genetics and cytophysiology became the main scientific directions of the department. Nowadays the department continues the research both in traditional and new directions.

For the last 40 years the department has trained about one thousand specialists, including citizens of China, Israel, Iran, Malaysia, Uganda, Burkina Faso. Our specialists successfully work in different fields of science and industry, teach in school or continue study as post-graduates. For the last five years 8 postgraduate students of the department defended their PhD theses. At present there are 7 postgraduate students at the department.

The department provides teaching of general courses for students of biological faculty: General cytology, General genetics, Methods of biology teaching, Mathematical methods in biology, Developmental biology, Theory of evolution, Principles of selection.

Special courses for bachelors: Genetics of sex, Developmental genetics, Genetic and cell engineering, Molecular and biochemical genetics, Mutagenesis, Genome organization, Applied genetics, Radiation genetics, Human cytogenetics, Genetic analysis. During special practical studies students learn methods of human karyotyping, methods of mutations revealing, methods of polythene chromosomes structure study, methods of genetic analysis and medical genetic consulting, methods of molecular and biochemical genetics.

Special courses for masters of genetics: Analytical genetics, Microbial genetics, Animal genetics, Behaviour genetics, Populational genetics, Human genetics, Genetic monitoring, Medical genetics, Methods of biology teaching in higher school, Organization of scientific work, Labour protection in the branch, Cytogenetics. Special practical studies: methods of medical genetic consulting, plant cytogenetics. For the last five years the department made 11 textbooks for higher school and dictionary of genetic terms.

At present 16 lecturers work at the department, among them – professors: Lubov O. Atramentova, Natalya V. Bagatska, Nadiya G. Shestopalova, Vyacheslav V. Klymenko, Yuriy V. Bondarenko, Lyudmyla I. Vorobyova; associate professors and senior lecturers: Albertina V. Nekrasova, Olga V. Taglina, Volodymyr Yu. Strashnyuk, Olena M. Fedota, Olga M. Utevska, Olga V. Gorenska, Natalia E. Volkova, Valeriya V. Navrotska, Olena Yu. German, and assistant Sergiy M. Samilo.

The laboratory of molecular genetics was founded at the department in 2007. The department has genetic collections of drosophila, mulberry and oak silkworms which are the richest in Ukraine, possesses the great information base on hereditary diseases and pathologies frequencies, has the experimental plot on the territory of KhNU Biological Station and necessary equipment for biochemical and some molecular genetics studies, microscopic technique. Among the branches of the department are Plant Production Institute named after V.Ya. Yuriev of UAAS (laboratory of genetics and biotechnology), Poultry Research Institute of UAAS (department of selection and genetics), Vegetable Crops Research Institute (department of selection), Institute of Children and Adolescents Health Care of the Academy of Medical Sciences (laboratory of medical genetics).

The main scientific directions of the department: human genetics (professor L.A. Atramentova); animal genetics (professor Yu.V. Bondarenko); plant genetics, radiobiology (professor N.G. Shestopalova); human cytogenetics (professor N.V. Bagatskaya); silkworm genetics, cell culture methods (professor V.V. Klymenko); mechanisms of formation and manifestation of organisms fitness, genetic analysis of behavior traits, mechanisms of gene expression regulation (professor L.I. Vorobyova). The Student scientific society works at the department, with regular meetings. For the last five years members of the department have published more than 130 papers (from them 10 – with students as co-authors), two monographs, have taken part in the work of 67 conferences on actual problems of genetics, radiation biology, biophysics, selection and others. The department was the organizer of the 1st International conference “Drosophila in the experimental genetics and biology” (2008); scientific and practical seminar on actual problems of poultry research (2007).