Management Board
Liliana Śmiech

Liliana Śmiech

Chairwoman of the Foundation Council

Director General for International Affairs at Ludovika University of Public Services. Chairwoman of the foundation council of Warsaw Institute. Scholarship holder of the Japanese government programme MIRAI Politics&Security. Co-author of the report “Energy Poverty – Situation of Households in 2021”. Former president of geopolitical think tank Warsaw Institute. Member of the foundation council of the Central and Eastern Europen Council. Reserach assistant at Krakow University of Economics. Member of The Polish Economic Society. Speaker at conferences in the fields of energy security, poverty and geopolitics. Alumna of International Business from the Krakow University of Economics and Energy Studies at the Warsaw School of Economics. She finished Energy Within Environmental Constraints at HarvardX and Energy Economics and Policy at MITx. Liliana Śmiech has gained professional experience in the European Parliament and in major multinational corporations. Her main interests are energy transition, sustainable development and geopolitics. Privately, she is sailor, beekeeper, judge and coach of rhythmic gymnastics.
Team
Szymon Polewka

Szymon Polewka

Program Coordinator

He graduated from the Jagiellonian University with an MA in International relations (specialisation: strategic studies). He completed his first-cycle studies at the University of Economics in Cracow within Individual Multidirectional Education Path (WISE). Associated with the Warsaw Institute since 2022. Throughout his career path he has gained professional experience in think tanks, NGOs and during international conferences. Cooperation among the European affairs, transatlantic relations, EU policy, Visegrad Group, Three – Seas Initiative, geopolitics, energy transition and history are among his main interests. Privately, a fan of skiing and cinematography.
Patrycja Sokołowska

Patrycja Sokołowska

Communication & Promotion Specialist

Patrycja Sokołowska is a communication and promotion specialist with over 2 years of experience in creating and implementing communication strategies, including content design. She has gained professional experience in public administration, the banking sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Since 2022, she has been associated with the Warsaw Institute, where she continues to develop her skills and knowledge in the field of communication and promotion.

She holds a Master’s degree in National Security from the Military University of Technology in Warsaw, specializing in Euro-Atlantic security. She also completed a Bachelor’s degree in International Security and Diplomacy at the War Studies University, focusing on political communication.

Katja-Elisabeth Herrmann

Katja-Elisabeth Herrmann

Research Fellow

Katja-Elisabeth works as a research fellow at the Warsaw Institute. She graduated with an MA in Transatlantic Affairs from the College of Europe (Warsaw, Poland) and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, cross-registering as a student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (Boston, MA). Additionally, Katja-Elisabeth holds a BA in International Relations and International Organizations, which she combined with a degree in International and European Law (LLB) from the University of Groningen.

Her research is mainly devoted to transatlantic security and defense topics, particularly emerging and disruptive technologies. She was recently awarded the Squire Patton Boggs Foundation public policy fellowship in 2022 to conduct research on U.S. domestic politics and the Three Seas Initiative. She is also interested in cybersecurity and crisis management.

She recently presented her research at the Fletcher School on semiconductor technologies’ political and industrial landscape in the U.S. and the EU. She will continue her research, focusing on the challenges and opportunities for military procurement for NATO allies.

Aleksandra Iskra

Aleksandra Iskra

Main Translator

English and French translator, a graduate from the Institute of Applied Linguistics (University of Warsaw) and the René Descartes University in Paris. Specialist in current affairs, the European Union and the global economy.

Aleksandra Tomaszewska

Aleksandra Tomaszewska

Translator

Aleksandra Tomaszewska is a translator, instructor, and researcher. She is a PhD candidate in linguistics and a graduate of the University of Warsaw (with distinction). She is a motivated university teacher of political and legal translation, and a passionate traveler (visiting new places whenever she can).