PEOPLE

Maciej Kisilowski is the co-editor of “Let’s Agree on Poland,” IUS Vice-President, and Associate Professor of Law and Strategy at Central European University in Vienna. His research bridges public law, management, and political economy, and his work has appeared in Business and Society and Law and Social Inquiry. He holds advanced degrees from Yale, Princeton, INSEAD, and the University of Warsaw. Kisilowski regularly comments on populism, democracy, and the rule of law in major international and Polish media outlets.

Anna Wojciuk is the co-editor of “Let’s Agree on Poland,” President of IUS, and Associate Professor at the University of Warsaw. She specializes in international relations, with research focused on populist foreign policy. Her work has been published in Review of International Studies, Chinese Journal of International Politics, and European Political Science. She is the author of Empires of Knowledge in International Relations (Routledge, 2018) and has held visiting fellowships at Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Sciences Po, and the European University Institute.

Adam Czarnota is an IUS Board Member and a Polish-Australian sociologist of law affiliated with the University of New South Wales in Sydney. He previously served as Director of the Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law (2013–2016) and Rector of the Riga Graduate School of Law (2022–2024). Author of over a hundred scholarly publications, he co-founded the Centre for Legal Education and Social Theory at the University of Wrocław. His research explores transitional justice, constitutionalism, and the rule of law.

Sylwia Sysko-Romańczuk is an IUS Vice-President, co-author of “Let’s Agree on Poland,” and Associate Professor at the Warsaw University of Technology. An expert in technology transfer, commercialization, and digital transformation, she represents her university in CESAER and serves on its Task Force Innovation. Her research focuses on strategies for advancing technology transfer and personalism in management. A former Deputy Minister of Education in the Law and Justice government (2005–2007), she has also served on the supervisory boards of start-ups and publicly listed companies.

Magdalena M. Baran is an IUS Council Member and Assistant Professor at the University of the National Education Commission in Krakow. A philosopher specializing in just war theory, ethics of war, government ethics, and conflict management, she is also a Senior Fellow at the European Liberal Forum in Brussels and Managing Editor of the liberal monthly Liberté!. She serves as the host of the #LetsAgree international discussion series, inspired by “Let’s Agree on Poland” and supported by ERSTE Stiftung.

Ryszard Balicki is Co-President of the IUS Council and Associate Professor at the University of Wrocław. A constitutional lawyer and expert on electoral law, he has been a member of Poland’s National Electoral Commission since 2019. His academic and public work focuses on the constitutional dimensions of democracy and the legal foundations of electoral processes in Poland and the European Union.

Maciej Bukowski is an Assistant Professor at the University of Warsaw, an economist, and the founder and president of the WISE-Europa think tank. His work focuses on energy economics, climate policy, and public finance, often combining macroeconomic modelling with policy analysis. From 2008 to 2014, he served on the Team of Strategic Advisors at the Chancellery of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, contributing to Poland’s long-term economic and energy strategies.

Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak is an Associate Professor and Vice-Dean at the Warsaw School of Economics. An economist and demographer, she specializes in pension systems, social policy, and healthcare economics. A former Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy, she contributed to major reforms of Poland’s pension and social security systems and continues to advise national and international institutions on sustainable demographic and welfare strategies.

Paweł Dobrowolski is the Director of the Stefan Jaracz Theater in Olsztyn and a cultural manager engaged in projects at the intersection of art and social dialogue. Previously, he directed the Catholic art festival Nowe Epifanie and co-created the social campaign Let’s Give Each Other a Sign of Peace, promoting inclusion of LGBT+ people within the Catholic Church. His work focuses on using culture as a medium for empathy, community building, and reconciliation.

Antoni Dudek is Co-President of the IUS Council and Professor at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. A historian and political scientist, he specializes in Poland’s contemporary history and political transformation after 1945. Since 2000, he has been one of the founding members of the Institute of National Remembrance, which documents and prosecutes crimes against the Polish nation. Dudek is also a public intellectual and commentator on modern Polish politics and history.

Jacek Giedrojć is a Member of the IUS Council. He is the founder and partner at Warsaw Equity Group, an investor, sociologist, and public intellectual who bridges academic insight with entrepreneurial practice. He earned his PhD from the Polish Academy of Sciences and pursued studies at Harvard Business School and Victoria University of Wellington. Author of books on the social determinants of innovation, he contributes regularly to Forbes and Gazeta Wyborcza.

Tomasz Grzegorz Grosse is a Member of the IUS Council and Professor at the University of Warsaw. An expert on European integration, regional development, and public policy, he co-authored Poland’s landmark 1998 local government reform and represented both the European Conservatives and Reformists and the European Committee of the Regions at the Conference on the Future of Europe. His recent books include Geoculture: The Relationship Between Geopolitics and Culture (2023) and Sovereignty and the Political: A Study of European Integration (2022).

Jarosław Gwizdak is a Member of the IUS Council, barrister, and former judge, as well as former president of the District Court in Katowice. The first recipient of Poland’s “Most Pro-Citizen Judge” award, he has been active in defending judicial independence since 2018. A Policy Leadership Fellow at the European University Institute (2022), he has contributed to judiciary reforms in Ukraine and Georgia. Since October 2024, he has served as Minister of Justice Plenipotentiary for the Open Judiciary and writes as a legal columnist for Rzeczpospolita.

Mikołaj Herbst is a Member of the IUS Council and Professor at the University of Warsaw. An economist specializing in regional development, local government, finance, and education policy, he focuses on the socioeconomic factors shaping territorial cohesion and public services. From 2008 to 2014, he served as a member of the Team of Strategic Advisors at the Chancellery of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, contributing to reforms in education and regional policy.

Tomasz Kaczor is a Member of the IUS Council and an econometrician with extensive experience in both the financial and public sectors. Since 2018, he has worked at the e-Health Center of Poland’s National Health Fund, focusing on data-driven healthcare management. From 2007 to 2018, he served as Chief Economist at BGK, the Polish state-owned development bank. Recognized as Parkiet’s Economist of the Year in 2016, he specializes in macroeconomic analysis and public policy evaluation.

Alicja Pacewicz is Co-President of the IUS Council and co-founder of the Center for Civic Education, one of Poland’s leading NGOs promoting democratic and civic values. A long-time educator and social activist, she develops nationwide educational programs and trains teachers in civic competence and participatory learning. In 2011, President Bronisław Komorowski awarded her the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for her democratic opposition work under communism.

Wojciech Przybylski is Co-President of the IUS Council. A political analyst specializing in European affairs and strategic foresight, he serves as Editor-in-Chief of Visegrad Insight and President of the Res Publica Foundation, a liberal think tank. He is also an advisory board member at LSE IDEAS Ratiu Forum. Co-author of Understanding Central Europe (Routledge, 2017), his analyses have appeared in the Journal of Democracy, Politico, and EUObserver.

Arkadiusz Radwan is a Member of the IUS Council and Associate Professor at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. A lawyer and legal scholar, he is the founder and president of the conservative Allerhand Institute in Cracow. Previously, he served as Deputy Director of the Diplomatic Academy at Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was the Law and Justice party’s nominee for judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union. His research and public work focus on corporate law and European legal integration.

Łukasz Rozdeiczer is a Member of the IUS Council, attorney, mediator, and arbitrator. He serves as Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University and holds an LLM from Harvard Law School. Deeply involved in civic and ethical leadership, he is Vice-President of both the Catholic Intelligentsia Club and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, as well as founder and president of the Batna Group. His work focuses on negotiation, conflict resolution, and strengthening civil society institutions in Poland and beyond.

Jan Smoleński is an Assistant Professor at the University of Warsaw and a political scientist specializing in democratic theory, federalism, and U.S. politics. He holds a PhD from the New School for Social Research, is a graduate of Central European University, and a Fulbright scholar. As a columnist for Krytyka Polityczna, he writes on comparative democracy, populism, and the challenges of contemporary liberalism.

Jacek Sokołowski is an Assistant Professor at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, a lawyer and constitutional expert, and a long-time collaborator of the conservative Jagiellonian Club. He is the author of popular books on Polish politics and an active public intellectual on X (as Easy Rider). A regular columnist for the center-right dailies Rzeczpospolita and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, he comments on law, politics, and the institutional challenges of contemporary democracy in Poland.

Leszek Stypułkowski is a Member of the IUS Council, board member of BGK (Poland’s state development bank), founder of Index Copernicus, and an expert on innovation, science, and higher education. He works at the intersection of finance and research policy, building ecosystems that connect universities, R&D, and industry. Drawing on leadership roles in both public and private sectors, he advances evidence-based strategies for technology transfer, research evaluation, and mission-driven development to strengthen Poland’s knowledge economy.

Marek Tatala is an economist and manager in the non-governmental sector, serving as President of the Economic Freedom Foundation (FWG)—the most dynamically developing classical liberal organization in Poland. His work focuses on promoting market institutions, entrepreneurship, and evidence-based public policy through advocacy, research, and education. Drawing on leadership across civil society initiatives, he develops programs that strengthen economic literacy and support regulatory reform. Tatała collaborates with partners in academia, business, and policymaking to advance a competitive economy grounded in individual liberty and the rule of law.

Artur Wołek is Co-President of the IUS Council and Professor at the Jesuit University Ignatianum in Kraków. A political scientist specializing in political systems and public administration, he co-authored Poland’s landmark 1998 local government reform. He collaborates with the Center for Political Thought (Ośrodek Myśli Politycznej), one of Poland’s leading conservative think tanks, and writes widely on constitutional design, decentralization, and party systems. His academic and public work examines how institutional choices shape accountability and effective governance in post-transition democracies.

Marcin Zieliński is President and Chief Economist of the Civic Development Forum (FOR), a classical liberal think tank founded by Leszek Balcerowicz. He leads FOR’s research and advocacy on economic freedom, institutional quality, and evidence-based policymaking, with a focus on regulation, taxation, and long-term growth. Combining analytical work with public communication, he contributes to national debates on market institutions and the rule of law. His policy briefs and media commentary aim to improve the transparency and effectiveness of Poland’s economic governance.

Fryderyk Zoll is a Member of the IUS Council and Professor at the Jagiellonian University and the University of Osnabrück. A leading scholar of private and comparative law, he belongs to numerous international expert bodies in his field. In 2013 he received the Medal of Merit for the Justice System. Since 2015, he has been a co-organizer of the Committee for the Defense of Democracy (KOD), a civic movement advocating for the rule of law in Poland. His work bridges academic research, legal practice, and public engagement.

Michal Zabicki is a programmer and analyst with a PhD from the Jagiellonian University. Trained as a theoretical physicist (non-practicing), he researches complex systems and applies computational methods to social and economic phenomena. His essays and commentary appear in Poland’s left-leaning media, including Gazeta Wyborcza and Krytyka Polityczna, where he writes on technology, data, and the public sphere. Bridging academic rigor with practical analytics, he focuses on how modeling, networks, and algorithmic tools illuminate contemporary policy and societal dynamics.

Wolf Linder is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Bern and a leading expert on comparative federalism, referendums, and Swiss democracy. His research centers on decentralization and power-sharing in young democracies. He co-authored Swiss Democracy: Possible Solutions to Conflict in Multicultural Societies (with Sean Mueller, Palgrave, 2017) and has published widely in top journals, including the European Journal of Political Research and the Swiss Political Science Review. Linder’s work significantly shapes scholarship on democratic institutions and conflict resolution in multicultural societies.

Peter L. Lindseth is a Member of the IUS International Advisory Committee and the Olimpiad S. Ioffe Professor of International and Comparative Law at the University of Connecticut School of Law. His research examines European integration, comparative administrative law, and legal history. He is the author of Power and Legitimacy: Reconciling Europe and the Nation-State (OUP, 2010) and co-editor of several volumes on comparative administrative law. His articles have appeared in the Columbia Law Review, Contemporary European History, European Law Journal, Revue française d’administration publique, and the Yale Law Journal. He holds a BA and JD from Cornell and a PhD in European history from Columbia.

Kalypso Nicolaïdis is Professorial Chair of Global Affairs at the EUI School of Transnational Governance in Florence. She directs the Transnational Democracy Programme, the Democratic Odyssey, the EUI democracy cluster, and the Global Peace Tech Hub. A leading scholar of European integration, democratic governance, and global affairs, she bridges academic research with public deliberation and institutional innovation. Her most recent book, A Citizen’s Guide to the Rule of Law: Why We Need to Fight for the Most Precious Human Inventions of All Time, argues for renewing civic commitment to the rule of law amid democratic backsliding.

Kim Lane Scheppele is a Member of the IUS International Advisory Committee and the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton University, as well as a faculty fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Her research spans the sociology of law, political sociology, comparative and historical sociology, the sociology of knowledge, and human rights. She studies the rise and fall of constitutional government, with a focus on post-1989 Eastern Europe and new constitutions in Hungary and Russia. Her latest book, 9/11 and the Rise of Global Anti-Terrorism Law (with A. Vedaschi, CUP, 2021), examines worldwide legal shifts.

Sylwia Chutnik is a writer, columnist, and activist with a PhD in cultural studies. A recipient of the prestigious Polityka Passport and three-time nominee for the Nike Literary Award, she is a graduate of cultural, gender, and Polish–Jewish studies. She lectures at the University of Warsaw and SWPS University, curates literary festivals and initiatives, and contributes to Polityka, Times of the Literature, and other platforms. Her work appears in Polish and international outlets, and she has received multiple literary and social awards for advancing civic engagement and cultural discourse.

Marta Kwaśnicka is a writer, literary critic, and editor with a PhD in history from the John Paul II Pontifical University in Cracow. She is the author of Jadwiga, a vivid biography of the Polish queen and Catholic saint that reconstructs the spiritual and intellectual milieu of fourteenth-century Europe while portraying Cracow’s vibrant landscape. A recipient of multiple literary honors, including the Dedals’ Wings and Marek Nowakowski Literary Awards, she also publishes scholarly works, including two monographs on the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century history of the Jesuit Order. She lives in Cracow.

Karolina Lewestam is a Member of the IUS Council, writer, and public intellectual with a PhD in philosophy from Boston University. A former columnist for the center-right daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, she serves on the editorial board of Pismo and writes a monthly column on culture, philosophy, and literature. She has lectured at Boston University and the University of Warsaw and is the bestselling author of children’s books. Nominated for the Grand Press Award, Poland’s leading journalism prize, she remains an active voice in contemporary cultural debate. She lives in London.

Anna Merriman is an editor and former daily news journalist who edits the English edition of Przekrój, Poland’s national arts and culture magazine. Previously an award-winning reporter for newspapers in Ohio, New Jersey, and New Hampshire, she covered the criminal justice system and local government. She has also served as an editor with Vox Media in Philadelphia and taught writing at SWPS University in Warsaw. Drawing on U.S. newsroom rigor and Poland’s cultural scene, she bridges reporting, editing, and pedagogy. She lives in Warsaw with her cat, Bąbelek (Bubbles).

Agnes Monod-Gayraud is an author, editor, and translator based in London, specializing in non-fiction on science, nature, culture, and folklore. She has translated more than a dozen books from Polish into English, including Earthlings (Big Picture Press, 2024), and co-authored Faedom, an illustrated compendium of fairies and earth science (Big Picture Press, 2024). In 2017 she received the Educational Writers’ Award for The Book of Bees (Thames & Hudson/Abrams). A freelance editor for Astronomy & Astrophysics, she holds degrees from New York University and the University of Warsaw.

Piotr Siemion is a novelist, literary translator, and attorney. He received a PhD in humanities and a JD from Columbia University in New York. A Fulbright scholar, Siemion lived in the US and Canada from 1988 to 2000, where he translated works by William Butler Yeats, Tom Clancy, and Thomas Pynchon (for which he won the 1990 “Literature in the World” Award). He worked at Weil, Gotshal & Manges. A winner of several major literary awards in Poland, he currently resides in Warsaw.

Ziemowit Szczerek is a journalist, writer, and translator whose work probes Central and Eastern Europe through a distinctive gonzo lens. Winner of the “Polityka” Passport, the Grand Prix of the Kryminalna Warszawa Festival, and the Silver Distinction of the Jerzy Żuławski Literary Award, he has twice been nominated for the Nike Literary Award. His books, including Mordor Will Come and Eat Us and The Triumphant Republic, blend reportage, history, and fiction to interrogate regional myths, deconstruct stereotypes, and illuminate the political and cultural complexities of the post-Soviet space.

Jonathan Weber is a graduate of the University of Glasgow and a professional translator and proofreader with nearly three decades of freelance experience. After early work in market research, over the past fifteen years he has focused on sociological, philosophical, and economic texts, collaborating with scholars, think tanks, and publishers. Born in London, raised in Scotland, and long based in Warsaw, he brings a distinctly European perspective to his craft, combining linguistic precision with sensitivity to disciplinary nuance and cross-cultural context.

Kate Webster is a translator from Polish into English, specializing in literature, academic texts, and the arts. Her published translations include works of fiction, fantasy and reportage, as well as children’s books and comics. Her work has been shortlisted for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation (2024) and the Oxford-Weidenfeld Prize (2023), and longlisted for the International Booker Prize (2024). She is based in London.