Piotr Kulesza

Piotr Kulesza is an Assistant Professor with habilitation degree at the Department of Geomorphology and Paleogeography, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland. He holds a PhD and habilitation in Earth Sciences, specifically in the discipline of Geography, with his habilitation completed in 2018. His academic career at UMCS began in October 1999 as an assistant at the Department of Physical Geography and Paleogeography, and he has been actively contributing to both research and teaching in the field of paleoenvironmental studies.

Dr. Kulesza's educational background includes graduation from AJ Prince Czartoryski High School No. 1 in Puławy (1993) and studies in geography at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, where he completed his master's thesis on water circulation conditions in Lake Nadrybie and Uściwierzek in the Łęczna-Włodawa Lake District. He passed his master's examination on June 29, 1999.

His primary research interests focus on paleoenvironmental analysis, particularly using Ostracoda (microcrustaceans) as paleoenvironmental indicators. His work centers on reconstructing past environmental conditions during the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs, with special emphasis on the Chełm Hills region in southeastern Poland. Dr. Kulesza investigates how Ostracoda fauna can serve as sensitive indicators of climate change and anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems. His research spans multiple geographical areas including the Carpathian foreland, the Lublin Upland, and the Lublin Polesie region.

Analysis of Dr. Kulesza's publication record reveals a strong focus on Quaternary geology and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. His research consistently employs multi-proxy approaches to understand past climate and environmental changes, with particular attention to lake sediment records. The geographical focus of his work is predominantly on southeastern Poland, especially the Chełm Hills region, but also extends to the Carpathian foreland and Western Ukraine. Methodologically, his work integrates micropaleontological analysis (particularly of Ostracoda), sedimentology, and stratigraphy to reconstruct past environmental conditions.

• 2019 - Awarded habilitation degree in Earth Sciences (Geography discipline)
• 2018 - Completed habilitation dissertation on the significance of subfossil Ostracoda studies in paleoenvironmental analyses
• 2005 - Completed PhD dissertation on paleohydrological changes in the Dorohucza Depression

Dr. Kulesza has supervised 28 bachelor's theses since 2008 and has been actively involved in teaching since 1999. His teaching portfolio includes physical geography, comprehensive physical geography, eco-physiogeography, paleogeography, and related subjects for geography, spatial management, geoinformatics, and tourism and recreation programs. He has also contributed to interdisciplinary environmental protection studies.

His research is conducted primarily through the Department of Geomorphology and Paleogeography at UMCS, where he collaborates with colleagues on various paleoenvironmental projects focusing on Quaternary geology and landscape evolution in southeastern Poland and adjacent regions.