Team
WIKTOR WIDERA, PhD
DIRECTOR
UNIVERSITY CENTRE FOR CREATIVE CITIZENSHIP
e-mail: wiktor.widera@us.edu.pl
Assistant Professor at the Institute of Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Doctor of Social Sciences, Graduate of Bachelor’s degree studies in Political Science, Master’s degree studies in Journalism and Social Communication at the University of Silesia in Katowice, and doctoral studies in Management at the University of Economics in Katowice. Graduate of the European Academy of Diplomacy in Polish Foreign Service.
Author of several dozens of scientific articles published in Polish and foreign scientific journals, active participant of international conferences and research projects.
His research interests include issues related to migration at labour markets in Europe, design and organisation of development and marketing strategies of the local self-government units, regional policy, and media functioning.
MARCIN MOROŃ, PhD
DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY CENTRE FOR CREATIVE CITIZENSHIP
e-mail: marcin.moron@us.edu.pl, moron.marcin@gmail.com
Social psychologist and interpersonal skill training trainer. He has finished postgraduate studies in family studies and psycho-technique diagnosis. Currently, he attends studies in the field of clinical sexology. He works in the field of psychological counselling, working with both individuals and romantic couples, mating behavior, and environmental psychology.
His research interests include emotional abilities and awareness, relational aggression, pro-social attitude, and relations in romantic relationships. He conducts classes in communication psychology and social psychology in Polish and English.
Doctor of Social Sciences (doctoral dissertation defended with distinction in 2014), and Assistant Professor at the Institute of Political Science. Since 2009, she has been employed at the University of Silesia as a researcher and lecturer.
Her research interests include social policy, especially educational policy and educational chances of children and the youth.
In 2010, she graduated from the Coach School, and finished Tutor School in 2018. In her educational work, during lectures, practical classes, and monographic discussion she uses experiences she has gathered during carrying out trainings. Since September 2020, she has been working as a coordinator of the University of Silesia research team in the Metropolis GZM project “Młodzi robią Metropolię” (The Young Create the Metropolis).
From January to July 2018, and again since October 2019, she has been a coordinator at the University of the Best (the University of Silesia programme addressed to the most talented students, based on tutoring). Since 2013 she has coordinated the Children’s University of Silesia (educational initiative addressed to the school youth), she is a coach at the Prospective Students’ University of Silesia and an instructor at the University of Silesia for Teachers.
In 2019 she carried out workshops for the youth of primary and secondary schools under the “Uniwersytet Młodego Odkrywcy” (University of Young Discoverer) project realised by the Teenagers’ University of Silesia. She also gives lectures for school youth and actively participates in open days at the Faculty of Social Sciences, and in the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE.
She is a member of several research teams dealing with problems in the field of educational and youth policies.
Assistant Professor at the Institute of Psychology. Doctor of Social Sciences in the field of psychology. Graduate of Master’s degree studies in Psychology at the University of Silesia in Katowice and Finance and Accounts at the University of Economics in Katowice.
Her research interests are focused on the issues related to work and organisation psychology such as organisational behaviour, personality in a working environment, and leadership in organisations. She carries out research regarding general and academic procrastination.
Assistant at the Institute of Political Science. Graduate of Master’s degree studies in Political Science: Contemporary International Relations. In April 2021, she received a PhD in political science and public administration based on her doctoral dissertation Separatism in the post-Soviet area from 1992-2019. An author of dozens research articles in collective publications and prestigious scientific journals such as Central Asia and the Caucasus, Journal of Strategic Security and Communist and Post-Communist Studies. A reviewer of prestigious scientific journals such as Journal of Strategic Security and Journal of Eurasian Studies. She cooperates with the Center for East European and Russian Studies in the USA. The results of her research have been published on the Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia website (based in the USA).
She has received the Rector’s distinction for the best graduates of the academic year 2014/2015. She is the winner of the 7th edition of the Rector’s distinctions competition for her achievements in scientific activity (2015), and winner of the Rector’s scholarship for the best PhD students in the academic year 2018/2019. In 2020, she received an individual Rector’s award for her scientific and research achievements. Member of the Polish Political Science Association, branch in Katowice.
Her research interests are focused on the functioning of countries not recognised in the post-Soviet area, international security in political and military dimensions, separatist conflicts, foreign and internal politics of the countries of South Caucasus and Eastern Europe.
Foreign languages proficiency: English, Russian.
Psychologist and sociologist, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Psychology. His research and educational interest are focused on health psychology and life quality, evolutionary psychology, economic psychology, and psychological context of attitudes towards science, scientists, and research discoveries.
Author and co-author of many conference speeches and scientific works in English and Polish, including three books: Science as an object of worship. Introduction to the theory of scientotheism (2015), Scientific worldview – correlates and conditions (2020), and The meaning and value of health in the contemporary world (2020, co-authorship).
He constructed psychological tools for measuring beliefs about the role of science in the contemporary world (Views of Science Questionnaire; Jach, 2019; Jach, 2021) and the contemporary ways of perceiving health (Views of Health Questionnaire; Górnik-Durose, Jach, Pasztak-Opiłka, Sikora, 2020). For many years he has been teaching Erasmus+ students about evolutionary psychology. Apart from research and educational work, he is also involved in science communication. He has participated in Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE and Copernicus Festival; given lectures at film screenings in the Center for Film Arts and Rialto cinema; he is a co-author of the internet course in statistics for Copernicus College, and has participated as an expert in press and radio interviews for Dziennik Zachodni daily, Tygodnik Powszechny weekly, Radio dla Ciebie, RMF Classic, University of Silesia Magazine.
An author of popular science articles in Forum Akademickie and Tygodnik Powszechny weekly. He designed activities for Civic Budget in Czeladź 2020, thanks to which the Czeladź Comic Books Library was created. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Academic Association of Economic Psychology.
In his spare time, he enjoys travelling around Poland and playing Magic: The Gathering. It took him almost three years to finish The Witcher 3.
PAWEŁ GRZYWNA, PhD, Associate Professor
Institute of Political Science
e-mail: pawel.grzywna@us.edu.pl
Doctor of Social Sciences in political science, employed at the Institute of Political Science as an Associate Professor.
His research interests include social policy, especially health policy, social and health security, and sustainable development. He has carried out empirical research among economically excluded inhabitants of Siemianowice Śląskie. He has conducted classes for students at the Institute of Political Science, the Institute of Journalism and Media Communication, the Institute of Mathematics, and the Institute of Romance Languages and Translation.
In the academic year 2018/2019, he was a coordinator of the 1st edition of the University of the Best programme, a joint initiative of the Municipal Office of Katowice and the University of Silesia.
In 2019, he was an expert involved in the work on the Regional Health Policy of the Silesia Region. In 2019-2021, he was the head of the WCN-SPUS Studia Politicae Universitatis Silesiensis project of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
Member of the team established under the activity Science and strategic support under the project “Młodzi robią Metropolię” (The Young Create the Metropolis). Co-author (along with A. Turska-Kawa, PhD, DLitt, Associate Professor and N. Stępień-Lampa, PhD) of scientific expertise of the “Pro Silesia” Association entitled Obawy rodziców i nauczycieli wobec nowych form edukacji w okresie pandemii SARS-COV-2. Studium województwa śląskiego. Its goal was to analyse concerns of both parents and teachers from Śląskie Voivodship related to new teaching methods in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic
Chair of the Polish Political Science Association, branch in Katowice; Vice-Chair of the Scientific Initiative Association; member of the Polish Association of Social Policy, Scientific Secretary at the Editorial Board of the Studia Politicae Universitatis Silesiensis scientific journal.
Since 2019, he has been the Degree Programme Deputy Director: National and International Security, Public and Political Counselling, and Political Science at the University of Silesia in Katowice.
Doctor of Social Sciences in the field of psychology (doctoral dissertation defended with distinction in 2018). Employed at the University of Silesia as an academic; since 2012, she has been conducting classes with students. For 6 years, she has been working with the youth in schools in the territory of Silesia.
She uses her knowledge in conducting classes in the field of psychology of motivation and emotion, cognition, and introduction to psychology and history of psychological thought.
She conducts classes mainly with first-year students, which gives her insight into the situation of young adults, their needs and their potential to involve in scientific activity. Her aim is an increase in students’ activity from the beginning of studies, organisation of additional meetings with practitioner psychologists, and carrying out research projects with students. In the academic year 2020/2021, she is the mentor of the first-year full-time students; in the academic year 2019/2020, she was a tutor at the University of the Best. Apart from that, she undertakes promotional activities and maintains the Institute of Psychology website in social media.
Her research interests focus on personality psychology, including subclinical psychopathy and psychology of heroism. She has led two research projects. In 2019, she published the book entitled Temperamentalne i osobowościowe podłoże codziennego heroizmu (the University of Silesia Press) on temperament and personality backgrounds of daily acts of heroism. She is the author of 9 papers in the field of psychology.