The academic staff involved in the creation and implementation of POLCA Summer School are specialists, also well prepared for work and intercultural communication, inclusiveness, and diversity in teaching with foreign students, also in a virtual environment.

POLCA Summer School – COORDINATOR & Instructor & PBL Supervisor

Włodek Golus – researcher and lecturer, a Ph.D. thesis in Earth Sciences in the Hydrology discipline. Research interests: small water bodies and their impact on the water cycle in post-glacial landscapes, particularly within endorheic areas of northern Poland. His main interests focus on the functioning of natural ponds, small temporal streams, and ephemeral reservoirs as elements of water networks that form runoff. He has experience working in the field and in teaching.

Affiliation: Centre for Water Monitoring and Protection, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk

POLCA Summer School – PBL Supervisor & tutor

Urszula Janas – Associate Professor, research interests include ecology and ecophysiology of benthic organisms with a focus on the non-indigenous; Effect of hypoxia and other environmental stress of the Baltic Sea ecosystem on different levels of biodiversity end ecosystem functioning.  Coauthor of over 50 scientific publications and several dozen of other reports and publications. Many years of experience working with students, a tutor for 10 years, and a nature educator.

Affiliation: Department of Marine Ecology, Laboratory of Experimental Ecology of Marine Organisms, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk

POLCA Summer School – Scientific Supervisor & Lecturer

Adam Sokołowski – researcher and academic teacher. Research interests: impact of stressors (natural and anthropogenic) on the structure and functioning of marine macrobenthic fauna at different levels of biological organization (physiological processes, individuals, populations, communities); marine food webs and trophic transfer of contaminants; biological effects of ocean acidification and human pharmaceuticals. Head of Department of Marine Ecosystems Functioning.

Affiliation: Department of Marine Ecosystems Functioning, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk

POLCA Summer School – Lecturer

Dorota Burska– researcher and academic teacher, research interests: Research interests are water chemistry and geochemistry: organic matter in the aquatic environment (marine, transitional, inland), its composition, transformation (degradation, environmental stoichiometry) and flow between environmental components (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon streams in the water and at the interfaces of phases, bioaccumulation); the impact of anthropopressure on the circulation of matter (eutrophication, acidification, organic pollution), methods of remediation of degraded water bodies using sorption and biomanipulation processes; the environment of the Baltic Sea and the polar regions.

Affiliation: Department of Chemical Oceanography and Marine Geology, Laboratory of Marine Environment Protection, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk

POLCA Summer School – Lecturer & PBL Supervisor & tutor

Mirosława Malinowska – researcher, lecturer, and certified tutor, a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences. Research interests: atmospheric phase of the water cycle, macro and mesoscale factors influencing precipitation, extreme atmospheric events, climate change, academic didactics. Apart from university teaching, she has experience in quality assurance in higher education, educational project management, and higher education management. Deputy Dean for Students at the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography.

Affiliation: Department of Physical Oceanography and Climate Science, Laboratory of Climate Science, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk

POLCA Summer School – Lecturer

Damian Moskalewicz – researcher and lecturer, Ph.D. in Earth Sciences (University of Gdańsk), MSc in geology (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań), and geography (University of Gdańsk). Research interests: sedimentology, geomorphology, and Quaternary Geology. Current research focuses on sedimentary records of extreme storm surges in the coastal zone; reconstructions of past environments and sea-level changes; application of handheld gamma-ray spectrometry in Quaternary deposits.

Affiliation: Department of Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology, Geomorphological Reconstruction Laboratory, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk

POLCA Summer School – Instructor & tutor

Halina Kendzierska – researcher and lecturer, a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences in the Oceanology discipline. Research interests: influence of environmental factors, especially oxygen deficiency in the bottom zone, on the functioning of benthic communities, the influence of marine organisms on biogeochemical processes occurring at the border between water and sediment in different habitats, the importance of non-native species in the structure and functioning of macrozoobenthos. She has experience working in the field and on board.

Affiliation: Department of Marine Ecology, Laboratory of Experimental Ecology of Marine Organisms, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk

POLCA Summer School – Instructor

Maciej Markowski – post-doctoral Assistant Professor, a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences in the Geography discipline. His master’s degree, as well as his Ph.D., were focused on hydrology aspects for the functioning and stability of lobelia lakes. Besides extensive hydrology and limnology knowledge gained during almost 15 years of University career, his interests and research are closely related to different aspects of GIS (Geographic Information System), Remote Sensing, Data Science, ETL, Data Transformation, and Data Analysis. He provides professional courses on the usability of GIS technology in environmental research. Also scientifically, he is still involved in research in the field of broadly understood lake hydrology.

Affiliation: Laboratory of Geographic Information Systems – GIS, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk

POLCA Summer School – Instructor

Dorota Pryputniewicz-Flis – researcher and lecturer, a Ph.D. in  Earth Sciences with a specialization in Chemical Oceanography. Research interests:  geochemical processes occurring in the marine and freshwater environment. She has carried out research on the Baltic Sea, the Antarctic environment, and the lakes of the Kashubian Lake District. In research work she deals with the transformation of matter in the aquatic environment, transformations of the forms of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon, and the impact of pollutants reaching water reservoirs on the chemistry of waters and sediments.  She is also a promoter of knowledge about the environment, which is associated with participation in many educational projects aimed at adults, adolescents, and children.

Affiliation: Department of Chemical Oceanography and Marine Geology, Laboratory of Marine Environment Protection, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk

POLCA Summer School – Instructor

Justyna Świeżak – post-doctoral researcher. Her research interests are related to anthropogenic pressure in marine ecosystems, particularly in the field of marine ecotoxicology targeting the influence of xenobiotic pollutants on benthic organisms, i.e. cellular stress responses, early development, reproduction, and overall condition. She has experience in field sampling, laboratory experiments, and international collaboration.

Affiliation: Department of Marine Ecosystems Functioning, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk

POLCA Summer School – Instructor

Iwona Bubak – a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences in the Oceanography discipline. Research interests: taxonomy, biodiversity, and ecology of marine and lake phytoplankton, with particular emphasis on diatoms; the use of biological indicators in the assessment of the ecological state of the aquatic environment and in palaeoecological reconstructions; natural and anthropogenic causes of environmental transformation.

Affiliation: Culture Collection of Baltic Algae, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk