Mykyta Kovalov is a predoctoral researcher within the IP-PAD project that will focus on the development of the political self in adolescence. He will be embedded within the Department of Government since September 2023. He holds a master's degree in political communication and journalism and a bachelor's degree in communications science from the University of Amsterdam.

His research focuses on political communication and the interplay between citizen's level politcal knowledge and polarisation and its influence on their political information processing and decison-making.