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Our members
Liliana Sikorska, professor, M.A., Ph.D., D. Litt
Professor of English Literature and head of the Department of Literature and Literary Linguistics at the Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan. She has authored and edited a number of books and numerous papers on medieval and contemporary literature in English, primarily on medieval mystical culture, drama, Saracen romances, medievalism and orientalism.
She is the general editor of An Outline History of English Literature in Texts. VolI- Ill (2007) and general editor of An Outline History of Irish Literature in Texts (2011). Her most recent publication is Nineteenth and Twentieth Century readings of the Medieval Orient. Other Encounters (2021).
She has been a visiting scholar at the University of Florida (Gainesville), University of California (Los Angeles), Brown University (Providence) and the American University (Washington DC) and Fulbright Professor at Cornell University (2010).
She is currently President of the Poznan Chapter of Agder Academy of Sciences and Letters (Norway), member of the European Academy of Arts and Sciences (France), and was the President of the International Association of University Professors of English (2016-2019).
Her research interests include medieval and medievalist literature, the history of orientalism, contemporary literatures in English, intermediality and her hobbies are literary travels, archeology and cats.
prof. dr hab. Katarzyna Dziubalska - Kołaczyk
Katarzyna Dziubalska-Kołaczyk, full professor and vice-rector for research of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. She was dean of the Faculty of English.
She has published extensively (ca. 160 publications) on phonology, phonetics and language acquisition. In her works she has been pursuing and advocating the Natural Linguistic approach to language. Her books include "A Theory of Second Language Acquisition within the framework of Natural Phonology", "Beats-and-Binding Phonology" and recent, co-authored, "Phonotactics and morphonotactics of Polish and English". She edits "Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics" and organizes "Poznań Linguistic Meetings".
She was a Senior Fulbright scholar in 2001-2 (University of Hawai’i at Manoa) and was visiting scholar at the University of Vienna (1991-4, 1998).
She is member of Academia Europaea, Agder Academy, Linguistic Committee of PAN, a corresponding member abroad of Austrian Academy of Sciences. In 2013-14 she was President of Societas Linguistica Europaea. She has supervised 22 PhD dissertations.
Her hobbies include books, films, the dog.
prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska (Ph.D., D.Litt.)
Professor Kaniewska is the current Rector of AMU. She was Vice-Rector for Student Affairs at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, and Dean of the Faculty of Polish and Classical Philology.
Professor Kaniewska is a successful scholar, academic teacher and manager of science.
Research interests:
Professor Kaniewska’s research focuses on contemporary Polish fiction, theory of literature, children’s fiction, and literary translation. Her academic achievements include the studies on Wiesław Myśliwski’s prose, 20th century Polish women’s writing, small narrative forms in Polish prose from 1945 to 1989, and the influence of Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy on Polish writers of the 1990 (which is one of the most important studies in her monograph, published in 2000). Her interest in literary theory resulted in substantial co-authored publications of handbooks for students of Polish literature for example Literary Theory and Polish Literature of the 20th Century. Among her studies of children’s fiction one finds, among others, such titles as “Alice’s Polish Faces”, “Alice and the others: On the naughty heroines of children's literature” or “Translating Imagination”. Prof. Kaniewska has translated from English into Polish famous children’s books of authors such as Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Secret Garden), Lucy Maud Montgomery (part 7 of Anne of Green Gables) and Colin Meloy’s The Wildwood Chronicles. In 2002, together with Anna Legeżyńska, Professor Kaniewska has authored a handbook for the students of Polish, Teoria Literatury (Literary Theory). In 2005, together with Anna Legeżyńska and Piotr Śliwiński, she co-edited Literatura polska XX wieku (Polish Literature of the 20th Century). Professor Kaniewska participated in a number of projects concerning Polish literature which concluded with important publications, such as the study on Polish twentieth century women’s writing: Polskie pisarstwo kobiet w wieku XX. Procesy i gatunki, sytuacje i tematy (Polish 20th-Century Women’s Writing: Processes and Genres, Situations and Themes), edited together with Ewa Kraskowska and published in 2015. Professor Kaniewska presented the results of her research at many Polish and international conferences. She was a guest lecturer in Czech Republic, Italy, Sweden, St. Petersburg and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Professor Ernst Håkon JAHR, Dr. Philos. Dr. Honoris Causa multiplex
Born 4 March 1948 in Oslo. Norwegian citizen. Married, 3 children. Received a Cand. Mag. degree (1973) and a Cand. Philol. degree (1976) in Scandinavian Linguistics from the U. of Oslo, and a Dr. Philos. degree from the U. of Tromsø 1984. Awarded an honorary degree 1995 from the Adam Mickiewicz U. in Poznan, Poland, and 2009 from Uppsala University, Sweden.
Research assistant 1973-76, Oslo U.. Taught at Tromsø U. 1976-98, as full professor from 1986. Chair of Nordic dept. three terms, dean one term (1980-82), member of U. Board 1988-90. From 1999 professor at Agder U., 2000-07 Rector, from 2011-15 Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education. Visiting scholar at Reading U. 1986, visiting professor at Hamburg U. 1992-93, Fulbright research scholar 1997-98 at the U. of California, Santa Barbara. Consultant professor (1994-) at the Eötvös Loránd U., Budapest.
Founder (2002) of the Agder Academy of Sciences and Letters, President 2002–19, honorary member 2019. Fellow of the Society of Norwegian language and literature (from 1992), Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (both from 1994), the Royal Gustav Adolf's Academy (Uppsala, Sweden, from 2007), the Academia Europaea (from 2008), The Royal Society of Sciences and Letters in Gothenburg, Sweden (from 2009), The Royal Skyttean Society (Umeå, Sweden, from 2010), Royal Society of Humanistic Sciences (Lund, Sweden, from 2013), Polish Academy of Sciences (from 2013), Royal Society of the Humanitic Sciences (Uppsala, Sweden, from 2014). Member of the City Council of Kristiansand 2011–19.
Adam Mickiewicz U.: The Rector´s Medal for promoting cooperation between Tromsø U. and Adam Mickiewicz U. 1986, The Norwegian Research Council's prize for excellent research and scholarship in the humanities 1990, Adam Mickiewicz U. Medal of Merit awarded by the U. Senate (1992), The Jöran Sahlgren's Prize for outstanding research in Scandinavian linguistics awarded by the Royal Gustav Adolf's Academy 2006, The Nordic Prize for Literature 2011 awarded by the Swedish Academy (known as the 'little' Nobel Prize in Literature), The Fridtjov Nansen award 2012 for contributions to linguistics awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, The Ernst Johan Gunnerus medal for outstanding contribution to linguistic science awarded 2016 by the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.
Published around 70 books (authored and edited) and more than 200 papers. Founded three journals of linguistics and three book series. Director of several major research programs. Organizer of 21 international linguistic conferences (in Norway, Denmark, Germany and the UK). Presented more than 60 papers at international conferences.
Knighted by the King of Norway 2008 (Knight 1st Class Order of St. Olav) for his research and for having founded important academic institutions.
Research interests: language contact, historical (socio)linguistics, sociolinguistics, language planning, sociology of language, creolistics, language conflict, history of linguistics.
Włodzimierz Mazanka
Włodzimierz Mazanka, born 28 March 1951 in Piaski. He graduated with honours from the University of Fine Arts, Tadeusz Brzozowski’s studio, in Poznań, in 1976. He’s a painter.
His individual exhibitions were displayed in a number of places, including:
BWA Gallery (Szczecin, 1988), PSP Gallery (Poznań, 1988), Gallery of Modern Art “Desa” (Poznań, 1989), Municipal Gallery Arsenal (Poznań, 2001), MDK Koło (2011), Haavik Gallery (Kristiansand, 2013), and Agder Academy (Poznań, 2015).
Włodzimierz Mazanka has won several awards for his paintings, such as in the 4th Spychalski National Art Contest (Poznań, 1997), “Bielska Jesień” Art Contest (Bielsko-Biała, 1986), Triennale of the Modern Portrait (Radom, 1986), Arte Laguna Prize (Venice, 2011), and for his exhibition “Od Nowa” (Poznań).
His hobbies include chess, literature and music.
Professor Jacek Witkoś
Professor Jacek Witkoś, born in 1963. Conducts research in the area of English linguistics and comparative English-Polish linguistics, specifically syntax and morpho-syntax. Head of the Polish-English Comparative Linguistics Department at Faculty of English, AMU, Poznań. Author, co-author and editor of 90 publications, including 8 monographs.
His current interests centre on minimalism and other recent developments in linguistic theory, specifically in the areas of control, syntax of numeral expressions and anaphoric binding.
Principal Investigator in five research grants financed by the Polish National Science Centre (NCN). A Kościuszko Foundation scholar; spent six years as lecturer and research fellow at prestigious UK, US and Austrian institutions. Vice-Rector of AMU for Research and International Relations (2008-2016).
Philosophy
Creating Something Better
At Poznań Chapter of Agder Academy of Sciences and Letters, we take pride in being problem solvers who are not afraid to take risks. We believe that with boldness, creativity and heart, there is nothing we can’t accomplish. But above all, our strength lies in teamwork. Each and every one of us has the capability to contribute no matter their experience or background. With this strength behind us, just imagine what we can achieve together.
Professor Bogdan Marciniec
Professor Bogdan Marciniec received M.Sc. (1963), Ph.D. (1970) and D.Sc. (1975) from the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland. He is a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (1994), member of European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Humanities (2009); and Agder Academy of Sciences and Letters (Norway), doctor honoris causa of the Technical University in Łódź (Poland). Dean of Faculty of Chemistry (1985-1988) and President of the Adam Mickiewicz University (1988/1990). He was a postdoctoral associate with Prof. R.C. Schowen, Kansas University (1970/1971) and he founded (the first in Poland) Poznań Science and Technology Park (Director 1995-2015).
His research activity is focused on the organosilicon chemistry and catalysis by organometallic and inorganometallic compounds. Synthesis and reactivity of organic derivatives of silicon but also containing B, Ge, Sn, and other metalloids mainly in the presence of transition metal complexes are of particular interest. Properties and application of organosilicon compounds are widely studied.
Professor Marciniec supervised 41 Ph.D Thesis and is an author or co-author of over 450 publications (cited over 6,500 times with h-index 36), 200 patents, 11 licenses and 42 technologies as well as 22 book chapters (e.g. Handbook of Metathesis (Wiley-VCH, 2003), Encyclopedia of Catalysis, (J.Wiley & Sons, Inc. N.Y., 2003 and new on-line edition, 2010), Applied Homogeneous Catalysis with Organometallic Compounds (Wiley-VCH, 2002). He is also editor and co-author 15 books, including “Comprehensive Handbook on Hydrosilylation” (Pergamon Press, 1992).
His group has cooperated with large international corporations producing silicones and silanes, including Degussa-Hülls (1992-1995), General Electric Silicones (1998-2005), Momentive Performance Materials (2006) and Dow Corning (2007-2010) in the area of developing new catalytic systems used for silicone curing via hydrosilylation.
Prof. Maria Kaczmarek
Maria Kaczmarek is Professor of Biological Sciences at the Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Adam Mickiewicz University (AMU), Poznań, Poland. At the AMU she initially studied for an MSc in Biological Anthropology, then completed her Ph.D. and habilitation (D.Sc.) in Human Biology. Her research spans across several different areas involving auxology (also auxological epidemiology) and human reproductive ecology. The primary focus of her current research is on the physiology and ecology of human reproduction and evidence of adaptation in that domain.
She initiated, managed and conducted as principal investigator some fascinating research on human growth and ageing, health, behaviour and psychological well-being. There were: (i) a longitudinal study of children aged 5-18, Poznań Growth Study, focusing in particular on mathematical modelling of growth curves, variation in growth curve patterns and the relationship between growth and maturation; (ii) a nationwide cross-sectional survey of female menopause, WOMID and male andropause with special interest in reproductive ecology, and (iii) a multidisciplinary (anthropological, medical and sociological) study on human adolescence, ADOPOLNOR PL0255, financed by a grant from the European Economic Area countries and Norway Grants.
For over twenty years (1986-2008) she served as an expert in forensic anthropology at archaeological sites in Sudanese Nubia and Egypt. Examination of ancient Nubians and ancient Egyptian mummies was one of the most exciting adventures for her anthropological curriculum.
She published books, manuals for students studying human biology and over 100 original papers. She served (2011-2020) as an editor-in-chief of Anthropological Review, an official publication of Polish Anthropological Society since 1926. She is member of numerous scientific societies including Polish Anthropological Society (president 2007-2015), European Anthropological Association (vice-president), and the Commission on Anthropology of Women in IUAES (president).
She is member of the Agder Academy of Sciences and Letters, Norway. She holds Honorary Membership of the Polish Anthropological Society in recognition of her substantial and long-standing contributions to Polish anthropology and an outstanding Dr. Aleš Hrdlička Memorable Medal Awards to honour her achievements in the field of anthropology.