The Human-Environmental Systems Research Centre at Jagiellonian University brings together specialized research teams addressing critical environmental and societal challenges. Explore our teams below to learn about their expertise, focus areas, and the researchers advancing knowledge in sustainable human-environmental systems.
Sustainable Consumption
The Sustainable Consumption team investigates consumption patterns and behaviors across various sectors, including tourism, examining the complete food chain from production to consumption in both rural and urban environments. The research aims to understand and promote sustainable practices in homes and communities, with particular emphasis on how individual and collective choices impact environmental and social well-being. By studying these dynamics, the team develops strategies to reduce food waste, enhance food security, and foster sustainable consumption behaviors on a global scale.
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Earth Critical Zone
The Earth Critical Zone team investigates the vital layer extending from vegetation canopy through soils and rocks to groundwater, where topography and geomorphological processes shape environmental conditions supporting carbon sequestration and ecosystem function. The research focuses on complex interactions between land use change, soil erosion, and carbon stabilization across different morphoclimatic regions, particularly mountainous areas. As climate change accelerates, this work becomes essential for developing sustainable management strategies that enhance carbon storage and support ecosystem resilience for future generations.
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Land Use and Biodiversity
The Land Use and Biodiversity group investigates environmental changes due to urbanization and land abandonment, analyzing their drivers, consequences, and impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. The team assesses how global change affects sustainability across diverse environments, identifies conflicts between ecosystem services, and develops recommendations for sustainable management and conservation, particularly in protected areas. The work employs remote sensing techniques and spatial modeling approaches to analyze land cover and land use changes to enhance the resilience of socio-ecological systems under increasing anthropogenic pressure.
Team Members:
- Agnieszka Nowak-Olejnik
- Dominik Kaim
- Joanna Hibner
- Ewa Grabska-Szwagrzyk
- Michal Jakiel
- Mahsa Shahbandeh
- Anna Szwagierczak
- Natalia Tokarczyk
- Elżbieta Ziołkowska
Urban Lab
The Urban Lab examines patterns and actions shaping sustainable development in cities, focusing on human activity, including demography, social relations, spatial transformations, and mobility in metropolitan regions. The research addresses the transformation of demographic and spatial urban structures, accessibility and functional urban area delimitation, and the development of transport systems in metropolitan environments. The team also investigates the critical role of social movements in promoting socially and environmentally just cities, contributing to more sustainable urban futures through evidence-based policy recommendations.
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Circular development
The Circular development team focuses on advancing circular economy principles across various contexts and scales, integrating both theoretical and applied approaches. The team explores how the circular economy contributes to sustainable development through resource efficiency, waste valorization, and low-carbon solutions, emphasising post-war green recovery. Their research develops innovative material recovery strategies, including industrial waste utilization in cementitious applications, waste-based additives for sustainable reconstruction, and mineral carbonation processes for CO₂ sequestration. They also evaluate industrial partnerships to scale up waste valorization in construction and infrastructure projects.
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Human-Environmental Systems Research Centre 