who we are
Foundation Board
founder and president of the Atypika Foundation. Philosopher, psychologist. Initiator and co-author of the study program “Neurodiversity in the Workplace – Inclusive Recruitment and Management” at SWPS University.A graduate of Psychoanalytic Observational Studies at Tavistock and Portman in London and the Foundation and Post Foundation at the British Psychoanalytical Society. In 2010-2019 children, adolescents and adults psychotherapist, among others, at Camden Psychotherapy Unit, Place2Be and the Clinic of the Polish Society of Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy. At present professionally interested in applied psychoanalysis and neurodiversity activism.
Board Member. Psychologist, psychotherapist, specialist in clinical psychology. She completed her master’s degree at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw. She has a Certificate of Psychotherapist from the Polish Association for Gestalt Psychotherapy and a European Certificate of Psychotherapist. Since 2013, she has been professionally connected with the Regional Specialized Children’s Hospital in Krakow. She works in the Clinical Department of Child Psychiatry and in the Mental Health Outpatient Clinic for Children and Adolescents. She provides psychological diagnosis, individual and group psychotherapy.
Foundation Council
Graduate of the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Lublin. He started his professional career in international consulting companies. For many years he has been associated with investment funds from the startup and real estate market. He has been cooperating with the Sobieski Institute almost from the very beginning of its existence. He co-created many programs, incl. in the fields of taxation, housing, family and demographic policy, information society, entrepreneurship and education. He is a member of the Council of the Foundation for Research and Science Development.
Legal adviser at the District Chamber of Legal Advisers in Warsaw. Since 2010, she has been associated with the Polish Society of Anti-Discrimination Law, where she currently serves as a board member. Over the years, she has coordinated many projects related to counteracting discrimination and social exclusion in various areas of life and for various reasons. She specializes in cases related to unequal treatment in employment due to disability, health condition and experience of mental illness. Member of the Specialist Team of the Cooperation Fund Foundation, which, based on the “Flat First” method, supports people who are mentally ill and are in a homelessness crisis.
Co-founder of Atypika foundation. TV and radio journalist. Columnist, author of satirical texts and the autobiographical book “Tales of radio and television. Alice on the other side of the mirror ”. Producer and author of television programs, including the first talk show in Poland, “Evening with Alice”. She specializes in interviews with outstanding and recognized representatives of the world of film, literature, science, art and sport. From the very beginning, she has been associated with TVP, for four years with Telewizja Polsat, where she produces her original program “In the Close Plan”. A graduate of the Faculty of English at the University of Warsaw, an admirer of Emily Dickinson and Ewa Lipska poetry.
Professor at the Faculty of Management and Economics, Gdansk University of Technology. Member of the Council of the Atypika Foundation. Co-founder of the country’s first course of study “Neurodiversity in the Workplace” at SWPS in Warsaw, of which the Atypika Foundation is the initiator and substantive partner. He has worked as a visiting scholar at the University of North Texas, the University of Western Australia and Curtin University. He is the first Polish researcher within the discipline of management sciences to engage in research on neurodiversity and professional work. Author and co-author of more than 50 publications in the area of HRM, primarily in the field of management practices and modification of the work environment for the inclusion of neuroatypical people. Manager and contractor in several projects funded by NCN and NCBiR, among others.
Doctor of psychology, psychotherapist, specialist in the field of addictions and family problems. Author of articles and interviews on development and social issues as well as many books, incl. Women’s secrets, Raise your head, In harmony with yourself, Shoes of happiness, Because you are human: live with depression, but not depressed, Good memory, bad memory, Regret after loss: acceptance lessons. People, people … Member of the Program Board of the ABC XXI Foundation “All of Poland Reads to Children”, the Congress of Women and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.
Sociologist, urban activist, housing expert. Founder of the Close Foundation dealing with supporting local activities and creating knowledge about housing innovations. She coordinated work on the preparation of the housing policy and the Housing2030 program for the Capital City of Warsaw. Member of the expert group Laboratorium Rynku Leu and CoopTech Hub at CIC Warsaw. Author of the book Out of property. Towards a successful housing policy.
Economist, specialist in finance and analytics. Co-owner and member of the board of directors of the RYŁKO group of companies, she has participated in the development and management of the organization for almost 25 years. In her work, she oversees and coordinates different areas of the company’s operations, organizes processes and aligns different points of view – supports every person in neurodiverse teams to get along and work effectively and creatively together. She has participated in numerous trainings, workshops and conferences on autism – thanks to this and her personal experiences, she has extensive practical knowledge of neurodiversity and the functioning of neurodivergent people. At the Atypika Foundation, she supports the board mainly in the content area.
Program Council
Honorary member of the Foundation’s Program Council. Writer, essayist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. The most respected and awarded Polish author, present on the world literary scene for over twenty-five years. Her books have been translated into 44 languages so far, including Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Armenian and Chinese. They were successfully filmed and staged as theater adaptations. Vegetarian, animal rights activist, feminist, environmentalist. The organizer of the Góra Literatury festival in Nowa Ruda, she has established her own foundation in 2020.
Founder of the Atypika Foundation and honorary member of its Program Council. Television and radio journalist, columnist, author of humorous texts. Winner of three Wiktor Awards and numerous prestigious plebiscites. For years she was associated with Program 2 of Polish Television, the weekly “Szpilki” magazine and Radio Three. She co-created and hosted the first TV talk-show in Poland, “Evening with Alicia.” Currently, she can be seen in her original program “A la Show” on TVP Rozrywka and TVP2.
Writer, cultural anthropologist, philosopher, creator of atypical literary heroes in “Piaskowa Góra”, “Chmurdalia”, “Ciemno, prawie noc”, “Roku królika” and “Gorzko, Gorzko”. Winner of the Nike Literary Award 2013.
Psychoanalyst, member of the British Psychoanalytic Association, child and adolescent psychotherapist, member of the Tavistock Society of Psychotherapists. Since 1977 she has been training and lives in London. Psychoanalyst in private practice. Director of the Camden Psychotherapy Unit, which offers, among others low-fee psychotherapy for adults. She conducts extensive teaching and supervision activities, also for organizations training in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. For years, she has been training and supervising in Warsaw and the Tri-City, conducting, among others, Infant Observation seminars.
Film and theater director and screenwriter. For her film debut the “Provincial Actors” she has received the FIPRESCI award at the Cannes Film Festival. Her next awarded productions are “Fever” from 1980 and “A Lonely Woman”. Due to martial law, Agnieszka Holland decided to live and work in the West. In the 90s she moved to the United States. Agnieszka Holland is the winner of many prestigious awards. She was nominated for an Oscar three times – for “Bitter Harvest” (1985), “Europe, Europe” (1991) and “In Darkness” (2011). In 2001, Agnieszka Holland was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Ph.D. Employee of the Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Long-term vice-rector and co-organizer of the SWPS University. Therapist and president of the Society for Process-Oriented Psychology. She co-conducted therapeutic workshops for people experiencing domestic violence. As a volunteer, she cooperated with the J Korczak Orphanage and the Multicultural Center in Warsaw. Currently, she participates in the Psychologists for Society campaign and provides psychological help to people who need pro bono support.
Theater, television and film actress. Theater director. Pedagogue at the Film School in Łódź. Winner of three Eagles for the roles of Zofia Beksińska in Jan P. Matuszyński’s “Last Family”, for the role of Iga Cembrzyńska in “Jak pies z kotem” by Janusz Kondratiuk and for the role of Kościelna in Jan Komasa’s “God’s Body”. Privately, mother of a wonderful daughter.
Social entrepreneur, social innovator, founder and long-term president of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Foundation, initiator of Women’s Entrepreneurial Networks, co-founder of the Black Swan Fund Individual Investors Club and the Black Swan venture capital fund. Active initiator of the female entrepreneurship ecosystem in Poland. An expert in the field of supporting women and gender balance in business. The Business in Women’s Hands program, which she initiated, contributed to the creation of over 275 new companies. Graduate of the Leadership Academy for Poland (2019). She graduated from Economic Cybernetics and Computer Science at the University of Economics in Krakow and the Copernic Program (Science Po, Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees, College des Ingenieurs, Ecole des Mines de Paris), Paris, France.
Associates
Graduate of the Cracow University of Economics. Experienced project manager at HCLTech, an information technology corporation, where she manages the global IT services center and the CSR area. She has been involved in promoting neurodiversity for over 10 years. She co-created the development strategy and was responsible for building and managing partnerships at the UK charity Neurodiversity in Business. She participates in the exchange of ideas and experiences in partnerships with NGOs, laying the foundation for inclusivity in the workplace. Currently, on behalf of Atypik, she is a lecturer and director of the postgraduate course “Neurodiversity in the Workplace – Inclusive Recruitment and Management” at SWPS University in Warsaw, where she shares her knowledge and experience of business processes and organizational culture supporting neuroinclusion. Actively involved in advocating for changes in the business and social environment, she is also involved in projects supporting women and employees in parenting roles.
Psychiatrist. Since the beginning of her professional career, she has been affiliated with the Department of Adult Psychiatry at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences. In 2014 she received her MD with honors on the familial occurrence of bipolar disorder, and in 2021 she received her postdoctoral degree for the world’s first stem cell research in this disorder. She has authored and co-authored numerous papers on the neurobiology and treatment of affective disorders. She has twice won the award of the Rector of the Medical University of Poznan for her scientific activities. She is head of the Laboratory of Affective Disorders (PZA) in the Department of Adult Psychiatry at the UMP, where she is currently conducting scientific research on neurodiversity. He is a certified diagnostician of the ADI-R tool – Interview for the Diagnosis of Autism – Revised Version; and ADOS-2 (Observation Protocol for the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders). Member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Greater Poland-Lublin Branch of the Polish Psychiatric Association. She holds the title of Positive Psychotherapy Consultant, issued by the World Society for Positive Psychotherapy.
Educator, founder and president of the Girls on the Spectrum Foundation, author of the books Girl on the Spectrum (2022) and Authentic on the Spectrum (2023). Board member of the Women’s Space Foundation from 2007-2019 and founding member of the Society for Anti-discrimination Education (2009-2015). Graduate of the STOP Trainers School (2009) and the Specialized School of Social Facilitation for Anti-Discrimination (2011-2013). Ashoka Fellow since 2022, winner of the Polcul Foundation Award for Citizenship (2012), the Empowered Program (2020) and the Willy Aastrup Accesibility Award for advocacy for people on the autism spectrum (2024). Member of the Scientific Committee and keynote speaker at the 13th Autism-Europe Congress in Krakow (2022). She teaches at the postgraduate course “Neurodiversity in the Workplace” at SWPS University.
PhD is a neuropsychopharmacologist, pharmacist and neuroscientist, presently researcher in Laboratory of Spatial Memory, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences. His main research is related to individual differences in the activation of the reward system controlled by emission of ultrasonic vocalization, and biological and neurochemical basis of this phenomena. His research interest is focused on building neurochemical maps (patterns) of activation of the reward system in different behavioral models related to social interactions, drug addiction and reward prediction. This kind of maps will provide finding new potential mechanisms of drug action in many neuropsychiatric disorders related with reward processing.
Poet, writer, editor at Krytyka Polityczna Publishing House, media figure and activist. He writes columns, poems, prose, songs and radio plays. He has published four volumes of poetry, three novels, three non-fiction books and co-authored a river interview and a children’s book. Since a long time, he has been active in the cause of free speech, culture, animal rights, climate change and, more recently, neurodiversity. He loves books, nature, exercise and his dog Hummus. He has been training Brazilian jujitsu (he has a blue belt) and MMA for more than three years. Before that, he did yoga and strength training. Recently, he has fallen in love with classical Pilates. In his spare time, he tends his garden and renovates his house.
Architect, designer. For 8 years she has been expanding herrepertoire of design disciplines – from product, visual communication, social innovation, retail, modern work environments to public spaces.She works in a boutique team with Dominika Zielinska. Together they support leaders and leaders of private and public projects and investments at the urban, architectural, interior and product scales. They specialize in empathetic research and systemic design.They enjoy working with meaning and positive impact. They are currently researching and creating spaces that support the learning processes of young adults (Neuro-inclusive School). Thanks to their broad outlook on the world of design, they are able to address challenges at both the individual user and global organization levels, as exemplified by the 42 Warsaw project, Neuroinclusive.Design or the Green Learning Zone in Katowice. He leads a sedentary and family lifestyle. He works remotely and lives in Radom, where he builds a house and plants a garden. She is a lecturer at the study “Neurodiversity in the Workplace” at SWPS University.
Master of Physics, PhD in Computer Science, Assistant Professor at the Interdisciplinary Modeling Center of the University of Warsaw. He deals with mathematical modeling and the development of knowledge discovery systems and them applications in the life sciences, in particular in neurobiology.
Foundation’s consultant. Philosopher (by education), musician (as a hobby), programmer (professionally). True admirer of Bohumil Hrabal’s prose and the sounds of Eberhard Weber’s electric double bass.
Joanna Szulc is an assistant professor at Gdansk University of Technology. She holds a PhD in Management from the University of Leeds (UK). She specializes in the topic of neurodiversity at work and creating inclusive organizations. She puts special emphasis on employee well-being and effective interpersonal relations. Joanna has authored scientific papers in international journals and has won prestigious grants and academic awards. She participates in the works of the international association of the European Academy of Management (EURAM), where she serves as a mentor to young scientists and director of the doctoral student assistance program. She has lectured at universities in the UK and Poland. In the field of neurodiversity, she has managed grants funded by the University Forum for Human Resource Development and the European Academy of Management. Currently, she is the principal investigator of the ARGENTUM grant funded by the Gdansk University of Technology entitled “Sustained, inclusive and sustainable institutions for all: Neurodiversity-friendly smart work design”. Her work on neurodivergent workers has appeared in academic journals such as Employee Relations, Personnel Review, and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. She also spoke about her research on neurodiversity as an invited expert at the Healthy Remote Work training organized by the UK Department of Health and Social Care and during the Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Science. She is currently working on a scientific monograph entitled “Neurodiversity in the Workplace.”
Architect and educator. For 15 years she has been integrating architectural experience with leadership competencies. For almost 11 years she ran a workplace studio. Today she works in a boutique team with Ula-Kuc Petelska. Together they support leaders and leaders of private and public projects and investments at the urban, architectural, interior and product scales. They specialize in empathetic research and systemic design. They find joy in work that has meaning and positive impact. They are currently researching and creating spaces that support the learning processes of young adults (Neuro-inclusive School).In the spirit of continuous learning and critical thinking, they are exploring the art of regenerative and neuro-inclusive design. She implements solutions that are good for people and the environment, as exemplified by interdisciplinary, award-winning projects such as the Arup Warsaw Office, Neuroinclusive.Design and the Green Learning Zone in Katowice. She has been practicing a nomadic lifestyle and work for 4 years. She spends a lot of time on the Azorean island of Flores, which is her life port. She is a lecturer at the study “Neurodiversity in the Workplace” at SWPS University.
