who we are
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.
Ph.D. in Social Sciences, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Management and Economics, Gdańsk University of Technology (Poland). He worked as a visiting scholar at the University of North Texas, College of Health and Public Service.
He is the first Polish researcher in the field of management who conducted research on neurodiversity and work. Author and co-author of over 50 publications in the field of human resource management, in particular, technology-based and non-technological solutions for the inclusion and wellbeing of employees with autism within the digitized workplace.
Principal Investigator and co-investigator of several projects funded by the National Science Center (NCN) and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR). He developed a set of solutions for employers aimed at improving human resource management processes and optimizing the work environment in terms of the needs of people with autism.
He participated in the development of a stress control system for children with developmental disorders in one of the special schools in Poland.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Jaś Kapela is a poet, writer and activist. He has published four volumes of poetry, the last one titled The MDMA Warrior, and eight books in prose. Member of the team and editorial office of the Krytyka Polityczna Publishing House, a player of the Prime Show MMA, for Super Express he runs his own YT program titled Jaś Kapela.
Director of Development and Promotion. Business practitioner, marketer, creator of unique events in the media industry, co-owner of the BRIEF brand. In 2015-2022, responsible for the management and media development strategy of BRIEF the first magazine on marketing and sales in Poland. In 2014, organizer and publisher of the “Ranking of the 50 most creative people in business” combined with an annual gala with the participation of more than 50 winners and guests. Promoter of Polish brands. Experienced entrepreneur. Currently focused on promoting neuroculture and raising awareness of inclusivity in business. She supports the Foundation in management, building a strong brand and developing training courses.
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.
Entrepreneur, economist, specialist in management, business analytics as well as organization and optimization of processes. Social activist, representative and promoter of neurodiversity. Among others she works for the benefit of neuroatypical people, with particular emphasis on autism. As a result of participating in numerous trainings, workshops and conferences as well as personal experience, she knows autism inside out.
Graphic designer, designer and senior art director. A graduate of the Faculty of Graphics at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. She has worked for over 10 years in chain and boutique advertising agencies. Currently, a freelance graphic designer, designs visual identities and furniture.
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.”
Alumna of King’s College London (MSc Environment & Development) and the University of Exeter (BA International Relations), environmental activist and freelance translator. She is currently studying contemporary art and curatorial practice in Cracow. She has been for years an active volunteer for a plethora of organisations helping, inter alia, children, the elderly, refugees, and migrants. She studied and worked in the United Kingdom, Spain, and France. In our team, she is responsible for translations from Polish to English but she is also fluent in Spanish and French.
An architect, an interior designer and an art therapist . She holds the position of a Leading Interior Design Architect in APA Wojciechowski Architectural Office. As part of her duties ,She deals with interior design: offices, hotels, commercial, gastronomic and educational facilities as well as exhibitions interiors . Marta specializes in universal design and inclusive design issues. Her aim is to broaden and to promote knowledge in the field of design for people with special needs, in particular for neuroatypical people and the elderly. She derives the knowledge from her personal experience, experience in art therapy and from cooperation with specialists in various fields.
