Michał Słowiński

Prof. Dr. hab. Michał Słowiński serves as Head of the Department of Dynamics of Past Landscapes and Director at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of the Polish Academy of Sciences. With a distinguished career spanning over 15 years at this prestigious institution since 2009, he has established himself as a leading expert in paleoenvironmental reconstruction and peatland ecology.

His academic foundation includes a Master's degree in Geography from Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz (2002-2007), where he specialized in physical geography with protection of the natural environment. He earned his PhD in Earth Sciences in 2012 with research on the Late Glacial and Early Holocene evolution of Trzechowski Paleolake, followed by habilitation in 2018 focusing on lake-peatland system responses to hydroclimatic changes during the postglacial period.

Prof. Słowiński's research program represents a sophisticated integration of multiple scientific disciplines to understand environmental change through time. His primary scientific interests include:

• Paleolimnology and paleoecology of peat bogs
• Reconstruction of environmental changes during the late glacial and Holocene
• Analysis of plant and animal macroremains as environmental indicators
• Natural and anthropogenic changes in lake and peat bog ecosystems
• Geology and stratigraphy of lake and peat bog sediments
• Wetland protection and restoration ecology

Analysis of his extensive publication record reveals a consistent focus on multiproxy approaches to environmental reconstruction, with increasing emphasis on human impacts on landscapes throughout history. His work spans geographical regions from Poland to Siberia and Mongolia, demonstrating both local expertise and international relevance. A notable trend in his recent research involves bridging paleoenvironmental data with historical records to examine long-term human-environment interactions, particularly how preindustrial societies shaped forest and wetland ecosystems.

Prof. Słowiński maintains active collaborations with researchers across Europe and beyond, contributing to large-scale projects examining environmental changes across the Northern Hemisphere. His leadership as head of department positions him at the forefront of paleoenvironmental research in Poland, where he oversees investigations into landscape evolution throughout the Quaternary period.