Pavlo Plotko

International Scientific Affairs at the DZA, coordinating astronomical activities with Ukraine. High-energy astrophysicist with a keen interest in outreach and bouldering.

Hello! I’m Pavlo Plotko, an astroparticle physicist at the Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik (DZA), which I joined on 1 February 2025. My work runs along three threads:

  • Science — I study the propagation of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) from sources such as active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and tidal disruption events (TDEs). I am completing my PhD in the Astroparticle Theory Group at DESY, which I began in September 2020.
  • Activities with Ukraine — I help connect the Ukrainian and international astronomy communities: schools for Ukrainian students at DESY and the DZA, the Ukrainian International Cosmic Ray Day, radio-astronomy projects in schools, and cooperation agreements with Ukrainian institutions.
  • International scientific affairs — at the DZA I coordinate scientific cooperation across Central and Eastern Europe, including partnerships and memoranda of understanding with institutions in Poland and the Czech Republic.

I’m originally from Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine. Influenced by my mother, a teacher, I was introduced to computers and physics early on—writing my first lines of code at age 9—and competed in scientific Olympiads and tournaments in high school. My passion for astronomy took off in 2012, when I carried out a photometric observation of asteroid 4 Vesta. I went on to earn both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Astronomy at Kyiv University, and from my very first year there I was involved in research projects and helped organize conferences and meetups.

In my free time I’m fascinated by human physiology and enjoy bouldering.