Building an open, international university that ensures the highest quality of research and shaping internationalised education - these are some of the most important goals of the ‘Visiting Professors Programme UG’, thanks to which our university annually hosts committed, active scientists from all over the world. This year, there will be as many as seventeen of them.

‘The University of Gdańsk consistently promotes and strengthens the role of visiting professors,’ says dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG, Vice-Rector for Cooperation and International Relations. ‘Our programme is part of the university's strategy of commitment to shaping an internationalised education and a more sustainable future for scientific development. It also signifies a commitment to promoting international scientific collaboration and educational enrichment.’

Visiting professors - the winners of the programme - are often very active in internationally renowned research centres. Their stay at our university results not only in high-quality research conducted in cooperation with UG scientists. It is also an opportunity for students, who - thanks to the inclusion of global perspectives in the curriculum - gain a rich and varied educational experience that fits in with the idea of internationalisation.

‘The international teaching staff gives students a unique opportunity to compare different approaches, issues, and perspectives in different countries,' emphasises prof. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler.

In the fifth edition of the programme (which is part of the Excellence Initiative ‘Research University at the University of Gdańsk’), 28 applications were submitted for a total of PLN 566,450. Positive assessments were given to 60.71% of the applications. The University of Gdańsk will be visited by 17 researchers from 12 countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Lithuania, Portugal, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom. The awarded funding amounts to PLN 243 200.

The research planned by the foreign visitors will be carried out in the humanities, social sciences and sciences and natural sciences, and is expected to result, among other things, in publications in internationally renowned journals and jointly submitted scientific projects. The laureates will teach a total of 165 teaching hours.

Laureates of the fifth edition:

Elena Woodacre from the University of Winchester (UK), invited by dr Aleksandra Girsztowt-Biskup from the Faculty of History. The purpose of the visit will be to conduct teaching sessions related to her research interests, covering issues of medieval and early modern monarchy, with a particular focus on the role of women. A meeting with the staff of the Institute of History is also planned.

Ren Yatsunami of Kyushu University (Japan), invited by prof. dr. hab. Kamil Zeidler of the Faculty of Law and Administration. The visit is a continuation of a long-term international cooperation and aims to provide research and teaching (in the field of private law and cultural heritage law) for students, doctoral students and academic staff.

Jakob Leimgruber from the University of Regensburg (Germany), invited by dr Karolina Rudnicka from the Faculty of Philology. The purpose of the visit is joint research work in ongoing projects, the development of cooperation in English linguistics and teaching activities.

Ngai Pun from Lingan University (Hong Kong), invited by dr. hab. Bartosz Mika, prof. UG from the Faculty of Social Sciences. The purpose of the visit is research and teaching in the field of infrastructural capitalism.

Randolph Lewis of the University of Texas (USA), invited by dr hab. Arkadiusz Misztal, prof. UG of the Faculty of Philology. The purpose of the visit is to participate in a conference and teaching activities on various aspects of the contemporary situation in the United States.

Stijn Oosterlynck from the University of Antwerp (Belgium), invited by prof. dr Maria Mendel from the Faculty of Social Sciences. The aim of the visit is joint research and teaching activities on the theme of solidarity in diversity.

Lucie Waleczek Zotykova from Slezska Univerzita y Opave (Czech Republic), invited by dr inż. Sylwia Badowska from the Faculty of Management. The purpose of the visit is comparative research into the consumer behaviour of seniors and seminars for students and academics.

Ivan Agullo of Louisiana State University (USA), invited by dr Denis Dobkowski-Ryłko of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. The purpose of the visit is to continue research work on Hawking radiation and to give lectures and seminars on quantum field theory.

Michael A. Henning from the University of Johannesburg (South Africa), invited by dr. inż. Magda Dettlaff from the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. The purpose of the visit is research in the area of dominance theory in graphs and transversality in hypergraphs, lectures and seminars for computer science students.

Isabelle Schon from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and Hasselt University (Belgium), invited by prof. dr hab. Tadeusz Namiotko from the Faculty of Biology. The aim of the visit will be interdisciplinary research on the taxonomy, ecology, and genetic diversity of ostracods (Ostracoda) and lectures on genomes and evolution.

Rui Martins from the University of Coimbra (Portugal), invited by prof. dr hab. inż Adriana Zaleska-Medynska from the Faculty of Chemistry. The purpose of the visit is research in the field of removing harmful xenobiotics (e.g. disinfection by-products) from drinking water.

David J. Jackson from Bowling Green State University (USA), invited by dr Rafał Raczyński from the Faculty of Social Sciences. The purpose of the visit is to teach political science students about contemporary American politics.

Sergej Olenin from Klaipeda University (Lithuania), invited by dr hab. Mariusz Sapota, prof. UG from the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography. The purpose of the visit is to work on a publication on non-native species in the Baltic Sea and to give lectures to students presenting current knowledge in this field.

Jorg Brendle from Kobe University (Japan), invited by dr hab. Rafal Filipów, prof. UG of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics. The purpose of the visit is to research various aspects of definable ideals on natural numbers and to conduct a course for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Boban Velickovic from Universite Paris Cite (France), invited by dr Bartosz Wcisło from the Faculty of Social Sciences. The purpose of the visit is research in the field of infinite logic.

Nigel Stewart from Lancaster University (UK), invited by dr Katarzyna Pastuszak from the Faculty of Languages. The purpose of the visit is, among other things, to conduct classes and scientific-artistic projects, covering issues related to ecology and the environment, as well as the social role of the university.

Luis-Javier Capote Perez z Universidad de la Laguna (Hiszpania), zaproszony przez dr hab. Annę Rytel-Warzochę, prof. UG z Wydziału Prawa i Administracji. Głównym celem wizyty są badania porównawcze dotyczące niebieskiej gospodarki, powiązań między prawem a krajowymi politykami morskimi oraz zarządzania i ochrony środowiska (zwłaszcza w kontekście zasobów morskich).