Ivan Svarnyk was born on 24 March, 1952 in Lutsk, Volyn, Ukraine. During 1970-73, he studied at the University of Lviv. He completed his military service in 1975 and began to work in the Central State Historical Archives in Lviv. During 1978-83, he studied at the Historical-Archival Institute in Moscow and wrote his dissertation entitled "The History of the Central State Historical Archives in Lviv". On completion of his studies, Svarnyk received his diploma as an historian-archivist.

Over the years, he held various positions including senior academic archivist where he was responsible for ancient documents and was also Assistant Director. Today, he is responsible for the sector of Auxiliary Sciences of History. In 1991-92, he taught Ukrainian history at the University of Lviv and again from 1995 at the college level. He has published numerous articles on the history of the Cossacks, Halychyna (Galicia) and Ukraine. He also participated in various conferences in Ukraine, Poland, Israel and Austria. Ivan Svarnyk is a member of several academic associations and continues his research in the areas of genealogy, heraldry and archival studies. He is also a specialist on Polish archival material in Ukraine.

Mr Svarnyk addressed the Ukrainian Genealogy Group - National Capital Region on Wednesday, 1 March 2000 and the transcription of his address can be downloaded HERE.