Kasia Jezowska

Kasia Jezowska is a historian specializing in modern Polish history with a focus on Cold War design, cultural diplomacy, and material cultures of state socialism. She is affiliated with UNSW Art & Design within the School of Arts, Design & Architecture, where she teaches courses on design history and theory. Her research explores how material culture and design served political agendas during the Cold War, particularly through international exhibitions.

Education: DPhil in History (University of Oxford, 2019); MA in Curating Contemporary Design (Kingston University & Design Museum, London); MA in Art History (University of Łódź).

Research Interests: Cross-cultural exchanges in Eastern Europe, Cold War materiality, exhibition design as propaganda, environmental histories of Central Eastern Europe, and the role of coal in Cold War diplomacy. Her first book, Socialist by Design, examines Poland's use of design in cultural diplomacy. Her current project, Coal Nation and Carbon Culture, investigates coal's role in national identity and decarbonization challenges.

Awards: Fellowships at Stanford University, the Norwegian Academy of Science, and Open Society Archives. Recognitions include the SHERA Emerging Scholar Prize and multiple residential research grants.

Teaching: Courses include National Design Histories, Global Design Discourses, and Design History and Theory. She mentors PhD students researching Central Eastern Europe, Cold War studies, and exhibition histories.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with museums like the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Museum in Warsaw. Engages in curatorial projects and international cultural initiatives.