Job profile: Archivist and Research Associate

What is your professional background?

I studied cultural sciences, photography and history in Kyiv, London and Berlin. A focus of my studies at Humboldt University Berlin was photographs of and letters from Ukrainian forced laborers. I also worked as an exhibition curator and obtained a certificate from Europäisches Kolleg Jena allowing me to curate contemporary history exhibitions.

What do you do at the Arolsen Archives?

I’m an archivist and research assistant in the Cataloguing & Historical Context Unit here. We sort and index the archival material and add new documents on victims of Nazi persecution to the collections. Documents related to forced laborers are my specialty – for example postcards that Ukrainian forced laborers sent home from Germany. I also work with Ukrainian archives and institutions to organize joint events and projects. Together with the #everynamecounts team, I prepare document sub-collections for volunteers to index on the crowdsourcing platform.

What fascinates you about the Arolsen Archives?

I’m really happy to be able to work here. In my view, the subject of Nazi persecution and our work in the area of remembrance are very important for society. We provide easy access to unique documents on Nazi crimes, which makes it much simpler and much quicker to do research. The modern flexible working conditions we have here at the Arolsen Archives are another strong point. I live and work in Berlin, but I’ve spent time in Ukraine working on specific projects on a number of occasions.