Dr Aleksandra Koj

Biography

Aleksandra joined the Geoenvironmental Research Centre as a Senior Research Associate in 2004 to investigate the issues of environmental protection, urban development and geoenergy from a sociological perspective. Aleksandra graduated from the University of Silesia in 1999 with first class honours in an MSc degree in sociology. After that, she joined the Social and Economic Studies Department in the Central Mining Institute, Poland, as a member of research staff. Her focus was on the social and economic problems associated with modernising old industrial regions, as well as the sociology of local communities (especially urban local communities) in the face of such developments.

Research Interest

Her research interests include: • Dynamics of local development. • Sustainable solutions for complex environmental problems, i.e. urban development and regeneration, remediation and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) related problems. • Design and execution of scientific research studies and commissioned research studies in socio-economic aspects of sustainable development. • Social acceptance of new geo-engineering technologies. • Analysis of human and social capital. • Sustainability indicators and methods for sustainability assessment. • Environmental and social responsibility for SMEs.