dr Karolina Sobczak-Szelc

Who am I?

I am an Assistant Professor at the Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw and the Centre for Advanced Studies of Population and Religion (CASPAR), Cracow University of Economics. In 2012 at the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, the University of Warsaw I defended my PhD thesis entitled ‘Migration of people of Southern Morocco versus changes of natural environment’.

What are my academic interests?

I combine earth science, social geography, spatial development, and sociology to study forced migrations both in countries of origin and destination. My knowledge of this subject is supported by numerous studies conducted in Poland and the countries of MENA, particularly in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. Currently, I am the Principal Investigator in the project ARICA — A multi-directional analysis of refugee/IDP camp areas based on HR/VHR satellite data (2020-2023) financed under Norway Grants and a key staff member in the project FUME – Future Migration Scenarios for Europe (2020–2022), financed by the EU Horizon 2020 Programme. My main research interests include forced migration studies, integration of forced migrants, environmental migrations, and strategies of adaptation to environmental changes and limitations.

What do I teach?

I teach the subject entitled „Środowisko przyrodnicze a migracje ludności we współczesnym świecie” and „Migracje i społeczności imigranckie z regionu Afryki w Polsce”.

Why ISSC?

The topic of environmental change and related risks is extremely important in nowadays changing world, where different regions of the Mediterranean and beyond, are tackled by a variety of consequences of environmental (including climate) change and one of them is migration which even if is triggered in distant areas has its consequences on European borders.