From 1987 to 2015 he was Director of the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre (URDC) at MacEwan University. He holds a PhD in the Sociology of Race and Ethnic Relations from the University of Bristol, England and a Diploma in Social Sciences from the University of Birmingham, as well as a Masters and Bachelor degree in Clinical psychology from Lakehead University. Dr. Petryshyn edited Changing Realities: Social Trends Among Ukrainian Canadians and has authored several articles about international development projects carried out by URDC remove space in Ukraine.