Academic teachers
Our Teaching Team
Below you’ll find profiles of some of the teachers and lecturers you’ll meet in our Cognitive Science programme.
Dr Anna Anzulewicz
anna.anzulewicz@psych.uw.edu.pl
Courses
- Modern neuroscience of consciousness – elective
- Modern topics in cognitive neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology I – elective
- Psychophysiology and eye-tracking
Michał Denkiewicz
michal.denkiewicz@psych.uw.edu.pl
About
I am a multidisciplinary researcher with background in experimental cognitive psychology and computer science. My primary research area includes mathematical modeling of decision making and information in small groups and biological networks. Scientific interests: multiagent and networked cognitive systems and computational methods of modelling cognitive and biological processes.
Prof. Ewa Haman
About
Before heading the PolkaNorski and StarWords projects, she led projects on the linguistic development of bilingual children (e.g., the Bi-SLI-PL project funded by NCN in cooperation with Jagiellonian University). She is the author of the method for creating Interlingual Lexical Tasks and co-author of standardized tests for assessing the linguistic development of Polish-speaking children. She has conducted numerous workshops for parents of multilingual children.
Dr hab. Maciej Haman Prof. ucz
About
In my research, which falls within the fields of neurocognitive science and developmental neurocognitive science, I deal with the study of conceptual structures underlying knowledge about the surrounding reality and their development in different periods of life, from infancy to adulthood. The research conducted in my studio concerns the understanding of the categories of number, space, intentions and states of mind, object and the distinction between animate and inanimate objects, causality, as well as the mechanisms of attention aimed at extracting from the environment the information that is most important for the acts of categorisation performed. In my research, I use both classical experimental procedures and measures of brain activity during cognitive tasks, in particular eytracking and fNIRS. I am currently conducting research projects on (1) early development of number sense and relation of number representation to space, especially in the context of acquisition of symbolic number representation systems and cross-linguistic differences (Polish-German-English), and (2) most basic elements of social and animate world conceptualization, including brain bases of mind understanding and animate movement (primarily in development, but also in adults and subclinical and clinical populations). I also collaborate with BabyLab and on various projects by PhD students and other collaborators. More complete information can be found on the lab website: http://koncept.strony.psych.uw.edu.pl/
Courses
- Advanced topics in cognitive science
- Research lab
Dr Grzegorz Krajewski
About
In 2008, he earned his doctorate at the University of Manchester with Professor Elena Lieven’s team. In 2016, he was the coordinator of a project to popularize knowledge about the development of bilingual children. He co-authored Polish adaptations of the CDI questionnaires, and is currently leading the development of adaptive versions of the CDI and the creation of a version of the CDI for older children.
Courses
- Research lab
- Statistics with R – elective
Dr Ewa Malinowska
ewa.malinowska@psych.uw.edu.pl
About
For many years, I have tried to combine my love of the natural sciences with my practice as a neuropsychologist. In particular, I am interested in the issue of ecological diagnosis and rehabilitation of executive functions in both children and adults; also among healthy people. In addition to my typical academic duties – preparing and conducting various faculties, I am involved in work related to the reorganization of the specialization in neuropsychology, as well as activities aimed at improving the quality of education at our Faculty.
Courses
- Introduction to psychopharmacology
- Introduction to neuroanatomy
Dr hab. Marcin Miłkowski Prof. PAN
Dr Karolina Muszyńska
karolina.mieszkowska@psych.uw.edu.pl
About
She has been the manager of several projects, not only related to bilingualism. She managed her own research project in which she studied stories created by bilingual parents and children in both their languages. Her research interests include trilingualism. She is currently working as a postdoc on the StarWords project.
Dr Marcin Leśniak
marcin.lesniak@psych.uw.edu.pl
About
I conduct research on the effectiveness of neuropsychological rehabilitation methods, including computer-based cognitive training and noninvasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Another focus of my scientific and clinical work is neuropsychological assessment, particularly through the use of digital tools. Currently, I am investigating the effects of emerging technologies on cognitive functions. Additionally, my research interests encompass visual perception and attention processes, especially their underlying neural mechanisms.
More information:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marcin_Lesniak
Courses
- Modern topics in cognitive neuroscience
- Introduction to programming in Python
- Introduction to neuroanatomy
- Methods in neuroscience
- Advanced Python for cognitive scientists
Dr Agnieszka Pluta
About
My research interests focus primarily on social neuroscience, clinical neuropsychology, and the use of modern biomedical imaging techniques (mainly functional magnetic resonance and functional near-infrared spectroscopy) to study the neuronal correlates of cognitive processes. I am a grantee of the Foundation for Polish Science and the Fulbright Commission. I have co-authored more than a dozen scientific publications in national and international journals and dozens of conference presentations at national and international conferences.
Courses
- Advanced research methods and experimental design in neuroscience
- Research lab
Prof. dr hab. Adam Przepiórkowski
IPI PAN & University of Warsaw
About
My current research interests are the syntax and semantics of natural languages. In my work, I combine formal (HPSG, LFG, Minimalist), empirical (corpus-based), and computational (parsing, machine learning) methodologies. In the past, I played a leading role in the development of some of the most popular Polish resources used in theoretical and computational linguistics, including the National Corpus of Polish and the Walenty dictionary.
My over 200 publications include papers in top theoretical linguistic journals such as Language and Linguistic Inquiry (see https://zil.ipipan.waw.pl/AdamPrzepiorkowski). I am currently affiliated at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Warsaw and at the Institute of Computer Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences. At the University of Warsaw, I taught natural language processing at the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics, as well as theoretical linguistics at the Institute of English Studies, and I currently teach formal syntax and semantics in Cognitive Science programs.
In recent years, I’ve been a visiting scholar at the Norwegian Academy of Sciences, at the University of Oxford, and at MIT.
Courses
- Modern semantics – elective
- Research lab
Prof. Joanna Rączaszek-Leonardi
About
PhD – Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University (1995). I am interested in human cognition as arising from interactions with others, situated in the world. I think that at the heart of cognitive phenomena (and of building successful explanations of them) lies the problem of the relation between dynamic and symbolic aspects of cognition. I study human language as a particularly good manifestation of this problem, trying to employ three approaches that seem most promising: ecological psychology, dynamical systems and semiotics. Tackling such fundamental issues requires vast expertise, so the HILL’s role is to form collectives of cognitive scientists, computer scientists, psychologists, mathematicians, philosophers, anthropologists and others, engaged in studying how symbolic forms emerge from interaction and how they, in turn, influence our life.
Courses
- Information theory for cognitive sciences
- Cognitive processes modelling I
- Cognitive processes modelling II
- Research lab
Dr Marta Sobańska
marta.sobanska@psych.uw.edu.pl
Courses
- Biologiczne mechanizmy zachowania I
- Wprowadzenie do neuronauki poznawczej
- Testowe metody oceny neuropsychologicznej
- Research lab
Dr Kalinka Timmer
kalinka.timmer@psych.uw.edu.pl
About
I obtained the doctoral degree from Leiden University (The Netherlands) in 2013 investigating the underlying process of reading aloud during monolingual- and bilingual language processing with event-related brain potentials (ERPs). In 2012, I continued with the investigation of speech planning between alphabetic and non-alphabetic languages as a post-doctoral fellow. Following this post-doc, I worked at York University (Canada) from 2014, where I investigated whether bilingualism influence domain general control processes. After receiving the Rubicon grant from the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) I have started working at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain) where I am investigating the relation between language- and task switching for different types of bilinguals with the Juan de la Cierva grant from the Spanish government (MINECO).
Courses
- Modern Psycholinguistics
- Modern topics in cognitive neuroscience
- Advanced research methods and experimental design in neuroscience
Dr Julian Zubek
About
I have a background in computer science and machine learning (MEng – Warsaw University of Technology, 2012, PhD – Institute of Computer Science, Polish Academy of Sciences, 2017), but I was always drawn towards social sciences. I work with computational models and advanced techniques for analysis of experimental data (also in dynamical context, where data consists of long time series). My research interests include emergence of communication, study of unstructured interaction, categorization, complexity of human cognition.
Courses
- Cognitive processes modelling I
- Cognitive processes modelling II
- Research lab
Dr Artur Pilacinski
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
About
I have background in human motor control and am interested in how the brain organizes movement and vice versa. I received my PhD from University of Tuebingen, then worked at University of Coimbra. At RUB I work on number processing in single neurons of human IPS, non-visual eye movements during thinking, phantom touch, intuitive biomechanics and collaborative robotics. I also run the VRS conference on XR and neuroscience, and occasionally post on Bluesky.
Dr Pawel Tacikowski
Coimbra University
About
I am a cognitive neuroscientist interested in how the human mind works—especially how our brains create a sense of self and mental maps of the world around us. My research draws on methods from cognitive psychology and neuroscience, including mixed-reality setups and single-neuron recordings, to uncover the fundamental mechanisms behind brain function. I have over ten years of experience working at leading research institutions in Europe and the US, and I have been awarded several prestigious research grants, including the Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship. If you are curious about my work or exploring research opportunities, feel free to visit my website and get in touch: https://paweltacikowski.com
Dr Monika Koperska
Jagiellonian University
About
Monika Koperska, PhD, is a chemist, science communicator, and conservation specialist whose work spans both cultural heritage preservation and modern data storage. A graduate of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland, and Université des Sciences et Technologies in Lille, France, she has been at the forefront of projects that bridge art conservation and material science. She gained her professional experience at Warsaw University, Jagiellonian University and the National Center for Nuclear Research in Poland. Recently, she devoted her work to preserving works from forgotten Polish inventors and bringing their lost works to the museum. She has founded the first Virtual Museum of Lost Inventors (www.wmzw.pl).
Her work has taken her from the vaults of Wawel Castle, where she has investigated the chemical stability of historical artefacts, to the delicate pages of rare manuscripts and textiles dating back to XVI century. She has also delved into the mysteries of Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches, exploring the molecular composition to ensure their longevity.
Monika is a dynamic science communicator, regularly appearing on Polish television and radio to discuss the science of ageing materials and the chemistry of durability. She gained national recognition by winning the 2012 FameLab Award and securing second place in the International FameLab competition the same year. Since then, she has hosted and co-hosted several science programs, including “Scientists’ Skirmishes / Potyczki naukowców” (Planete+, 2015), “Inventors of the Future / Wynalazcy przyszłości” (Canal+ Discovery, 2016), “Science Is Everywhere / Nauka jest wszędzie” (TVP Science, 2024), and “Food Matters / Jedzenie ma znaczenie” (TVP2, 2024-2025). She has been responsible for eight seasons of the science show “Kopernik była kobietą / Copernicus Was a Woman” for Polsat TV, running from 2019 to 2024.
In 2016, she co-founded the Association of Science Advocates (Stowarzyszenie Rzecznicy Nauki), which won the award for best science communication institution in 2020. In 2023, she also co-founded the SMArt (Science Motion Art) Foundation, an organisation dedicated to merging science, TV, and art to engage the public in scientific discourse.
Courses
- Communication skills
Dr Marcin Opacki
About
I am an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Modern Languages, University of Warsaw. My work spans theoretical syntax, natural language processing, and psycholinguistics. I am interested in how syntax, semantics, and pragmatics (so, all facets of logical semiotics) regulate one another and give rise to notions of well-formedness. As an experimental linguist, I seek to test the construct validity of descriptive grammars as tools for operationalizing abstract linguistic knowledge. Currently, I am conducting research on how this is best done in the context of corpus linguistics, childhood bilingualism, language change, clinical linguistics, and educational research.
Dr Ewelina Wnuk
About
I obtained my PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen (2016), and worked as a post-doc at Radboud University and an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow at University College London. My research explores human emotion and perception through the lens of language. I am interested in questions such as: To what extent are people’s emotional and perceptual experiences expressible in language? And—since language is a tool for organizing and giving meaning to such experiences—what can linguistic distinctions reveal about their nature? I address these topics through interdisciplinary work, drawing on psychology, linguistics, and ethnography, and adopting a cross-cultural perspective to help uncover patterns of human diversity and universality. My empirical focus is on small-scale societies with unique sociocultural systems, especially the Maniq of Thailand, with whom I additionally engage in long-term language documentation.
Courses
- Language and Thought