Jan Wawrzyniak

Professor Jan Wawrzyniak serves as Full Professor and Head of the Department of Constitutional Law at Kozminski University, bringing 53 years of combined academic and practical constitutional expertise. His distinguished career spans advisory roles for Poland's highest state institutions—including a decade as Presidential Advisor (1996-2006) and Legislative Council membership (2001-2006)—alongside international academic leadership as Deputy Director of the Polish Academy of Sciences Station in Rome (1987-1992).

His research centers on constitutional principles, European constitutional values, Poland's constitutional evolution, Italian constitutional systems, and comparative law methodologies. This focus manifests in extensive fieldwork across France, Italy, Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Russia, plus lecturing engagements at LUISS University and Italian regional universities. His scholarship uniquely bridges historical analysis (tracing Poland's constitutional journey from the 1791 May 3rd Constitution) with contemporary challenges in EU integration and democratic resilience.

Professor Wawrzyniak's publication trajectory reveals deepening engagement with constitutional crisis management, culminating in his 2016 authoritative work on parliamentary-presidential dynamics. His research consistently connects Polish constitutional development to broader European frameworks, with increasing emphasis on institutional responses to democratic backsliding.

His exceptional contributions are recognized through:

• Officer's Cross of Merit of the Italian Republic (1996)
• Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2001)
• Medal of the National Education Commission (2014)
• Two Rector's Awards from Kozminski University

Professor Wawrzyniak actively shapes constitutional discourse through editorial leadership at "Toruńskie Studia Polsko-Włoskie" and "Przegląd Konstytucyjny," while his practical experience in constitutional advising provides students with unparalleled insights into real-world institution-building. His current work examines the tension between national constitutional identity and EU legal supremacy in Central Europe.