For Kozminski University, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a time of particular reflection on the identity of an institution that for years has set standards in management education in Central and Eastern Europe. It is an opportunity to review activities and recall the spectacular successes of women, from groundbreaking research and prestigious grants, through key roles in university governance, to the international achievements of female students and alumnae.
It is also a moment to consider what everyday actions are taken to ensure equal opportunities in science and business, an area that is itself an important direction of research at Kozminski University.
Global Impact of Kozminski University Researchers
Professor Dorota Węziak-Białowolska was included in the prestigious World’s Top 2% Scientists 2025 ranking, prepared by Stanford University, confirming her status as one of the most influential researchers in the world.
Professor Aleksandra Przegalińska, Vice Rector for Innovation and AI, was named among the Top 200 Voices Shaping the Future of AI and received the Best Research Paper Award ICTO 2025. Her voice helps shape the global debate on artificial intelligence, as reflected in her appointment to the Supervisory Board of the European Cultural Foundation and to the Future Council to the Prime Minister of Poland.
Professor Izabela Grabowska received the prestigious Fernand Braudel Senior Fellowship at the European University Institute in Florence, Department of Political and Social Sciences, where she conducts research on the relationships between labor migration, automation and artificial intelligence. Her work contributes significantly to the European debate on the future of work and mobility. She has also published a book on Ukrainian women war migrants.
Professor Dorota Dobija was elected to the Fellows College of the European Academy of Management (EURAM), an elite group of scholars whose contribution to management studies and to building the European academic community has been recognized as particularly significant. This distinction confirms the international impact of her research achievements.
Dr Joanna Kusiak-Corcoran is carrying out a NAWA Bekker Fellowship and a research stay at the Hertie School in Berlin, one of Europe’s leading public policy schools. Her research activity strengthens Kozminski University’s presence in the international discussion on contemporary social and institutional challenges.
Research That Shapes Public Debate
Representatives of Kozminski University have also conducted important research in many key areas. Dr Anna Maria Górska, Director of the Center for Women and Diversity in Organizations, published research in the European Heart Journal on bias in AI-generated images in healthcare and was appointed as a representative of the Polish Academy of Sciences to the Main Council of Science and Higher Education.
Dr Anna Macko and Dr Elżbieta Kubińska conducted research supporting the “Lehman Sisters” hypothesis, demonstrating that greater representation of women on boards could foster better risk management.
Dr Zuzanna Staniszewska defended her doctoral dissertation Essays on Reimagining Women in Leadership, prepared under an international joint degree program with Kozminski University, ESCP Business School and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, examining how women redefine leadership. She also received a National Science Centre grant for research on inclusive leadership.
Dr Kinga Barbara Tchórzewska was awarded a scholarship from the Minister of Science and Higher Education for outstanding young scientists. As a co-author of a publication in Research Policy, one of the Top 50 Financial Times journals, she contributes to the international debate on energy economics, innovation and green fiscal policy. She collaborates as an economist with the European Commission DG CLIMA and as a consultant to the World Bank, focusing on empirical modeling in green fiscal policy, and serves as an expert on the scientific committee of the OECD project “Corporate Income Tax and Climate.”
Doctoral student Malwina Rzepka received an NCN PRELUDIUM grant for research on bubbles in the real estate market.
Women in the Strategic Governance of Kozminski University
Women hold key positions in the governance of Kozminski University, shaping its development path.
Dr Sylwia Halas-Dej, Vice Rector for Development and External Relations, Dean of Kozminski Executive Business School and President of the Kozminski University Development Foundation, was included among the leaders of the “50 over 50” ranking by Forbes Women magazine, highlighting women who demonstrate that experience and courage can drive professional and social change. Under her leadership, Kozminski University, as the first business school in Poland, is building an endowment fund, a historic solution at the national level that ensures stable funding for scholarships and research and guarantees full academic independence.
Professor Jolanta Tkaczyk, Vice Rector for Students and Quality of Education, plays a key role in shaping world-class education, as evidenced by maintaining the prestigious “triple crown” of accreditations. She also creates an ecosystem that enables students to achieve spectacular success and ensures the continuous development of educational offerings aligned with market needs.
Professor Mariola Ciszewska-Mlinarič, Vice Rector for International Cooperation and ESR and Dean of the College of Management, is responsible for building the University’s international position and partnerships with 225 universities worldwide. Her activities support positioning Kozminski University as a “foreign university in Poland,” where students from 70 countries form a multicultural community with global impact, while advancing responsible and sustainable development.
Professor Aleksandra Przegalińska, Vice Rector for Innovation and AI, through her academic work and activity in international bodies, supports positioning the University as a place that connects business with new technologies, including the strategic implementation of AI as a horizontal competence embedded in programs in law, management and finance. She is also an important voice in the global discussion on ethical and inclusive technology development and use. Together with Professor Izabela Grabowska, she coordinates the groundbreaking EUonAIR European University Alliance Consortium project, shaping the future of higher education in the era of AI.
For Kozminski University, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is not only a symbolic celebration but a confirmation that the voices of women are a real driver of the University’s transformation and are clearly heard in the global debate on science and business.
A full summary of the achievements of Kozminski University’s female researchers and students in 2025 is available in the latest Kozminski University YEARBOOK.
