Valentyna is a senior research fellow at the Institute of History of Ukraine. She received her degree in history in V.Vynnychenko Kirovohrad State Pedagogical University. Until 2005, she has been a lecturer and a deputy dean there. In 2009, under the supervision of the Doctor of History, professor, corresponding member of the NAS of Ukraine O.P. Reyent, she defended her Candidate thesis on the development of banking activities on the territory of Southern Ukraine in the 19th – early 20th century.

Valentyna is author/compiler of over 50 scholarly and methodological works in the history of Ukraine of the 19th – early 20th century, and legal science, such as a monograph "Private Banking Business in Odesa (19th – early 20th century)" (Kyiv, 2010), and of chapters in such collective publications as "Economic History of Ukraine: Historical Economic Research: in 2 vol." (Kyiv, 2011), "The Great War of 1914–1918 and Ukraine", in 2 vol. (Kyiv, 2014–2015). Since 2011, she has been part of organizing committee of the annual International Research Conference "History of Trade, Taxes, and Customs Duties" (Dnipro). She is an acting secretary of editorial board for the collection of research essays "Problems of the history of Ukraine of the 19th – early 20th century." Besides, Valentyna participated in two summer academic schools– "Jewish History and Culture of East Central Europe of the 19-20th century" (Center for Urban History, Lviv, Ukraine, 2012 ) and "Catching up or falling behind? Institutions, Geography and Economic Development of Eastern Europe in the Long Run" (Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany, 2014).

Her research focus covers areas of historical urbanism (forming and management of urban open public space, public transport, beautification of cities), social economic history of Ukraine of the 19th – early 20th century (private businesses in crediting and financial area), Ukrainian context of the First World War.

Currently, Valentyna studies the process of forming public space of cities in Ukraine in the period of transition from conventional to industrial society. Key focus is on studying gender aspects of public space of a modern city, such as creating spaces for children (gardens, parks, playgrounds and sport grounds, etc.), and also organization of recreation areas for urban citizens. In Lviv, Valentyna will work with holdings of the Center’s library, State Archives of Lviv Region, and Lviv National Vasyl Stefanyk Scientific Library of Ukraine. The materials to be developed during the residency will be used for comparative analysis of the process of formation of open public spaces in cities under the rule of Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires.