The 50th Anniversary Annual International Conference of Young Scientists “Cold in Biology and Medicine – 2026” was held on May 20–21, 2026. For the first time, the event was organized as a joint meeting of the Institute for Problems of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine of the NAS of Ukraine, the UNESCO Chair in Cryobiology, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP‑Bio), and the International Cryobiology Young Scientists community.
This collaboration created a scientific “bridge” between the USA and Europe within the framework of the Annual International Conference of Young Scientists “Cold in Biology and Medicine – 2026”.
This year, 73 scientific presentations were delivered, including 54 oral and 19 poster reports. Participants included young scientists and postgraduate students from academic and higher educational institutions across Ukraine (Kharkiv, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Uzhhorod, and others), as well as representatives from more than 20 foreign countries (USA, Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovakia, Hungary, India, etc.).
In total, the conference brought together over 170 scientists representing more than 80 Ukrainian and international organizations.
The event was attended by foreign coordinators of the UNESCO Chair in Cryobiology: Prof. Barry Fuller, Prof. Roland Fleck, Prof. Brian Grout, and Dr. Estefania Paredes Rosendo.
The conference operated in two time zones simultaneously: Kyiv Time (UTC+3) and U.S. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC‑4).
Invited speakers included: Prof. Barry Fuller, PhD Taisiia Yurchuk, PhD Andrew Clarke, Assoc. Prof. Anton Tkachenko, Assoc. Prof. Rebecca Sandlin, and Dr. Tony Consiglio.
The Institute for Problems of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine of the NAS of Ukraine continues to support young researchers by providing access to modern equipment, laboratories, and expert consultations. A notable participant was Denys Shcherbina, an 11th‑grade student of Kharkiv Lyceum No. 109 and the Kharkiv Regional Small Academy of Sciences, who presented his research during the poster session of the conference “Cold in Biology and Medicine – 2026.”
Congratulations to the winners of the Best Presentation Competitions
Best Oral Presentations
1st place – Maryna Kobylynska (Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging, King’s College London, UK)
2nd place – Frederic Brockgreitens (Institute for Multiphase Processes, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany)
3rd place – Jiří Sekerák (Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic)
Best Poster Presentation
Winner – Stanislav Kolomiichuk (V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Ukraine)
Best Presentations in the American Session
- Jazmin Velazquez (Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, USA)
- Seema Patel & Colleen Kuriger (Department of Biology and Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville, KY, USA)
Acknowledgment of Support
We extend our sincere gratitude to the Society for Cryobiology for responding to our request for assistance. Their support strengthened our energy resilience and ensured the uninterrupted operation of the conference. With their help, the Institute acquired essential backup‑power equipment, including a high‑capacity UPS system and battery units, which now safeguard the continuity of our scientific and educational activities.
