RES Days: Transformation for the future generations
Date: 23-24 October 2025
Venue:
23.10.2025
Marshal’s Office
of the Wielkopolska Region
al. Niepodległości 34
61-714 Poznań
24.10.2025
Poznań Science and Technology Park
St. Rubież 46
61-612 Poznań
The conference will focus on key challenges and opportunities related to the global energy transition, particularly in the context of achieving climate neutrality (NET ZERO). Invited speakers will discuss the latest trends and projects in the field of renewable energy sources (RES) within the European Union, Poland’s role in implementing European initiatives, as well as the most interesting examples of completed projects. Topics will include the recycling of RES components such as wind turbine blades and batteries, the costs and benefits of the transition, and the impact of green energy on society.
The presentations will outline a vision of the world after achieving climate neutrality, considering the role of Europe and Poland in this process and highlighting the importance of small, community-driven initiatives in reaching climate goals. The conference will combine an optimistic outlook on the future with a pragmatic approach to barriers, negative impacts, and opportunities in the energy transition, both at the local and global levels.
A gala ceremony will also be held on October 23, starting at 5:00 p.m. The event will take place at the “Hanka” student dormitory, Al. Niepodległości 26, 61-714 Poznań.
Prof. Paweł Churski, PhD
Prof. Paweł Churski, PhD, professor of social sciences and economic geographer, works at the Faculty of Social and Economic Geography and Spatial Management at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. He is currently the dean of the faculty and, since 2009, head of the Department of Regional and Local Studies. He is the chairman of the Conference of Heads of Geography Departments, chairman of the Executive Team of the Union of Universities for the Development of Spatial Management Studies, vice-chairman of the Committee for Spatial Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and vice-president of the Poznań Society of Friends of Science. He is a member of, among others, the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP), the European Regional Studies Association (ERSA), and the American Association of Geographers (AAG). Author of over 200 scientific publications, including 15 monographs and 25 collective works. His research interests include: local and regional development issues in Poland and Europe, including those related to climate change and the process of just transition, changes in development factors and regional policy in Poland and the European Union, as well as the challenges of responsible research and innovation, including the role of universities in their implementation. Member of the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy’s Expert Team on the future of EU Cohesion Policy. Member of the Expert Team for national recommendations for the just transition process of Polish coal regions.
Prof. Dominika Narożna, PhD, DSc (AMU) Dominika Narożna (Poznań Science and Technology Park)
Prof. Dominika Narożna, PhD, DSc (AMU) – University professor employed at the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, head of postgraduate studies in media relations at the university, member of the board of the Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation in Poznań, and development manager (formerly environmental relations manager) at the Poznań Science and Technology Park, which is part of FUAM. She created and is the head of the “Audiovisual Production” program (master degree studies) at the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. In 2004-2010, she collaborated with TVP S.A., and then until 2017 she was the spokesperson for the Adam Mickiewicz University. She also headed the Press Office of the University. Author of numerous publications in the field of journalism and media relations. She is a trainer and advisor in the field of image creation and information policy. She is passionate about music (she composes songs and sings).
PhD eng. Łukasz Lindner (Institute of Molecular Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences)
PhD eng. Łukasz Lindnr – expert in hydrogen technologies and low-emission energy strategies. Co-founder and technical director of MH Energy, a consulting and technology company implementing hydrogen projects for the public and private sectors. A scientist associated with the Institute of Molecular Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, author of numerous scientific publications and research and development projects. He actively participates in shaping national hydrogen policy and public education – from textbooks and training courses to social campaigns and advisory activities for local governments. Participant in international study missions and industry conferences. Involved in the development of the hydrogen economy in Poland as part of the Wielkopolska Hydrogen Platform and the Sector Agreement at the Ministry of Climate and Environment.
PhD eng. Agata Mielcarek (Poznań University of Technology)
PhD eng. Agata Mielcarek – Assistant Professor at the Division of Power Plants and Energy Management at the Poznan University of Technology, Deputy Director of the Institute of Electric Power Engineering. Her scientific interests focus on Energy engineering, in particular electricity generation technologies, energy management and energy security. Her scientific activity concerns primarily renewable Energy sources, cooperation with electrochemical energy storage and production and storage of green hydrogen. Involved in the European project FP4-RAIL4EARTH – “Sustainable and green rail system” and technical-economic-environmental analyses for the industry.
PhD Yi-kuang Chen (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)
Yi-kuang Chen currently works as a manager at THEMA Consulting, a power sector specialist consultancy based in Oslo. Her expertise has been focusing on quantitative analysis related to a broad range of challenges in the European energy transition. She has worked with long-term power market outlooks, scenario analysis and energy system modelling. Yi-kuang has a PhD degree in renewable energy from NMBU (Norway) and a joint MSc degree in sustainable energy systems from AGH (Poland) and KTH (Sweden).
Marzena Andrzejewska-Wierzbicka
Geographer and environmental engineer, associated with the Wielkopolska Province Local Government for twenty-five years, where she designs and supervises work related to environmental management and climate protection, including granting permits for the introduction of substances or energy into the environment and concessions for the extraction of minerals, issuing decisions on waste management, creating strategic documents on environmental protection and waste management, and counteracting the effects of climate change as part of the LIFE After Coal PL Project. Author and co-author of scientific and industry publications related to environmental protection.
PhD eng. Janusz Zyśk (AGH University of Science and Technology)
PhD eng. Janusz Zyśk is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Energy and Fuels at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. He graduated from the AGH University of Science and Technology, the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, and the Kraków University of Economics. He has received scholarships from the French government and the ENPC École des Ponts. He is the head of four postgraduate programs, including “Sustainable Transformation: Environment, Climate, Energy.” He has also led and implemented numerous projects related to energy transition in Poland, the Małopolska Region, and Eastern Greater Poland. His research interests include air quality, low emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, energy systems, pollutant transport modeling, local energy and environmental management, and energy transition.
Jowita Maćkowiak (Greater Poland Spatial Planning Office in Poznań)
Jowita Maćkowiak – architect and urban planner. Graduate of the Poznań University of Technology. Since the beginning of her professional career, she has been involved in urban planning and regional planning. Since 2020, she has been the Director of the Wielkopolska Spatial Planning Office in Poznań. She is the chief designer of the spatial development plan for the functional urban area of Poznań and the author of numerous analyses and strategic documents for Wielkopolska. She completed postgraduate studies in urban planning and spatial management at the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology, the Modern Urban Development Management program as part of the European Union’s TEMPUS-PHARE Collegium Polonicum project, and the Academy of Regional Development at the Center for European Regional and Local Studies at the University of Warsaw. Author of publications on regional planning of suburban areas. Member of the Municipal Urban Planning and Architecture Commission in Poznań and the Provincial Urban Planning and Architecture Commission of the Lower Silesian Province.
Timon Wehnert (Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy)
Timon Wehnert – has been working as a senior researcher at the Wuppertal Institute since 2011. He co-leads the Research Unit International Energy Transitions of the Department Future Energy and Industrial Systems. His current work focuses on structural change and regional innovation systems in the context of climate policy-driven transition processes, such as the phase-out of coal and decarbonisation of the industrial sector. One key question is what distributional effects and justice implications those transitions have: globally between countries and generations as well as within countries between regions and groups of society. Among other issues, he coordinates the activities of the Wuppertal Institute within the framework of the Secretariat of the Coal Regions in Transition Initiative of the European Commission and the project Innovation Regions for a Just Energy Transition which deals with Just Transition in coal regions globally. Prior to his engagement with the Wuppertal Institute (between 1999 and 2011) he was a research fellow at the Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment (IZT), Berlin, working on matters relating to sustainable energy systems: long-term energy foresight and scenarios for the energy sector, potentials of renewable energy technologies as well as European energy research policy. Timon is an experienced facilitator of scientific workshops and consultation processes. He enjoys using innovative methods in transdisciplinary research.
Georgi Stefanov (Sofia Univeristy / New Bulgarian University)
Georgi Stefanov is an international expert with over 25 years of professional experience in the fields of climate change, sustainable development, and energy policy. He led the “Climate and Energy” Programme of WWF for Central and Eastern Europe for 15 years and is the founder of the “Climate Action Coalition – Bulgaria”. In 2022, he served as Chief of Cabinet to the Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policies in the Government of Bulgaria and has since continued to work as a parliamentary expert on climate and energy affairs. He has been a university lecturer for more than 15 years, teaching environmental policy, climate change, and sustainable regional development at Bulgaria’s first private university, New Bulgarian University, and at the country’s oldest university, Sofia University. Georgi is actively engaged in the field of geothermal energy and served as a scientific observer of the first geothermal project in Central and Eastern Europe, launched in Hungary in 2014. Since then, he has continued to promote geothermal energy development in Bulgaria and across the EU. Currently, he is the National Climate Coordinator for Bulgaria under the LIFE AFTER COAL PL Project.
Joanna Mazurkiewicz (Institute for Structural Research)
Joanna Mazurkiewicz – economist at the Institute for Structural Research, PhD in economics. Her research focuses on the economic and social aspects of energy transition, with particular emphasis on energy poverty, support for vulnerable groups, and reducing social inequalities in the transition to a low-carbon economy. She has carried out research projects funded by, among others, the European Commission, the National Science Centre, the World Bank, the European Climate Foundation, and the European Climate Initiative, as well as projects supporting the activities of local governments.
Dr. Magdalena Szmytkowska (Gdańsk University)
Dr. Magdalena Szmytkowska, social geographer, assistant professor at the Department of Social and Economic Geography at the University of Gdańsk and at the Department of Urban Planning and Regional Planning at Gdańsk University of Technology. Her research interests focus on the formation of regional settlement structures and local socio-spatial structures of contemporary cities, as well as the socio-cultural aspects of urban development, with particular emphasis on migration processes. She is the author of about 50 publications, including two monographs on the multidimensional transformations of contemporary cities, as well as applied studies and expert reports commissioned by regional and local authorities.Vice-Chair of the Commission on Settlement and Population Geography of the Polish Geographical Society, member of the Council of the Association of Polish Town Planners, member of the Board of the Gdańsk branch of the Association. Subject editor for the scientific journals ‘Czasopismo Geograficzne’ and ‘Prace i Studia Geograficzne’.
People involved in the Policy Lab:
Moderator: Dr Justyna Adamska, Deputy Director, Poznań Science and Technology Park
Prof. Paweł Churski, PhD, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
Dr Magdalena Szmytkowska, Gdańsk University
Dr Eng. Janusz Zyśk, AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków
Dr Joanna Mazurkiewicz, Institute for Structural Research
