Student Spotlight: Ilya Slavutskiy
Ph.D. Candidate, History
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellow
This story includes content originally published by Rutgers Today. Read the full article by Mike Lucas: "In Pursuing His Doctoral Degree, Fulbright Scholar Embarks on Multicountry Trip in Europe" (July 15, 2025).
Exploring Revolutionary Ukraine Through European Archives
Ilya Slavutskiy, a doctoral student in history at the School of Graduate Studies, is currently on a multicounty research trip through Europe with support from a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship. His dissertation examines Ukrainian socialists and evolving ideas about political power during the revolutionary period of the former Russian Empire (circa 1917–1920).
To access rare primary sources not available in the U.S., Ilya is conducting archival research in Helsinki, Prague, and Amsterdam, cities where crucial documents, newspapers, and pamphlets were deposited by both political authorities and exiles. His project reflects his deep scholarly commitment and his adaptability; due to current instability in Ukraine and Russia, he has turned to European archives to pursue his work safely and effectively.
A Lifelong Passion for History
Ilya’s fascination with history began early, sparked by stories from his grandfather about World War II and from his father about the Cold War. He earned his B.A. in German language and literature at Hunter College and completed dual master’s degrees in history and library and information science at Queens College, CUNY. At Rutgers, he found an academic home where the culture of the History Department and strong faculty mentorship aligned with his goals.
New Languages, New Perspectives
This fellowship experience has opened unexpected doors: Ilya has immersed himself in Czech, Finnish, and soon Dutch, gaining insights into local life while expanding his research. “Aside from gathering some amazing research materials, I've gained some real insights into local life, made friends and have been able to explore new sides of myself.” he said.
Looking Ahead
When he returns, Ilya will continue writing his dissertation. and hopes to return to Europe for future research. “I certainly will tend to be more encouraging to others regarding study-abroad opportunities. You really never know what you can experience and learn, and being in an unfamiliar environment can bring out parts of you that might not have come out in your regular familiar environment.”
Fun Fact
When he’s not studying history, Ilya enjoys metal music, fantasy literature, chess, dancing, and learning languages.
GradFund’s Role in the Journey
The School of Graduate Studies GradFund Office provides fellowship advising support to graduate students through a peer mentoring model that is designed to complement and to be value added to the support the graduate student received from their faculty mentors in their graduate program. The GradFund Fellowship advising team worked with Ilya through a collaborative editing and peer mentoring process to support the development of his application materials.
Ilya first connected with GradFund at a challenging moment, when he was developing a project focused on Ukraine, but couldn’t travel there due to safety concerns. Fulbright-Hays, a key funding source for area studies, provided a path forward, and GradFund helped him make the most of it.
GradFund is a service of the School of Graduate Studies with the mission of assisting graduate students in applying for external, merit-based, research-focused funding opportunities. We offer several types of individual appointments designed to help students navigate the process of applying for externally funded fellowships and grants successfully. In addition to individual advising appointments, the team provides workshops and webinars on the best practices in fellowship advising and offers students the opportunity to enroll in our Self-Paced Guide to Fellowships and Grants on Canvas. as well as webinars and workshops on best practices in fellowship and grant writing. To learn more or to make an appointment, please visit http://grad.rutgers.edu/gradfund.