Education and professional career

• 1995–2000 – University of Lodz, Faculty of Philosophy and History - studies in archaeology
• 2001–2006 – Doctoral Studies in the Humanities, University of Lodz
• 2005–2008 – Assistant in the Department of Medieval History of Western Europe and the Levant at the University of Lodz
• 2008–2010 – Assistant at the Department of Byzantine History, University of Lodz
• since 2008 – member of the Council of the Faculty of Philosophy and History at the University of Lodz
• 2010–2021 – Assistant Professor at the Department of Byzantine History of the University of Lodz
• 2012–2020 – member of the Senate of the University of Łódź
• 2016–2020 – member of the Disciplinary Committee for Students at the University of Lodz
• since 2018 – member of the Council of the Institute of History, University of Lodz
• 2020–2021 – Faculty Coordinator for the Erasmus+ programme
• 2020–2021 – member of the Faculty Quality of Education Committee of the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the University of Lodz
• since 2021 – Associate Professor at the Department of Byzantine History of the University of Lodz

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Editorial activities

• since 2011 – scientific secretary of the journal "Studia Ceranea. Journal of the Waldemar Ceran Research Centre for the History and Culture of the Mediterranean Area and South-East Europe" (Lodz, Poland)
• since 2011 – member of the Editorial Committee of the publishing series "Series Ceranea" (Lodz, Poland)
• 2012–2016 – member of the Scientific Council of the journal "Annales. Ethics in Economic Life" (Lodz, Poland)
• since 2015 – bibliographical correspondent of the "Byzantinische Zeitschrift" (Munich, Germany)
• since 2015 – member of the Editorial Committee of the series "Byzantina Lodziensia" (Lodz, Poland)
• since 2016 – member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the publishing series "Studies in Historical Geography and Cultural Heritage", in cooperation with Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Novi Sad, Serbia - Vienna, Austria)
• since 2016 – member of the Standing Review Panel of the journal "Епохи/Epochi" (Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria)
• since 2017 – member of the Scientific Council of the journal "VTU Review: Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences" (Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria)
• since 2022 – member of the Editorial Board of the journal "Македонски преглед / Macedonian Review" (Sofia, Bulgaria)

• since 2024 – member of the Editorial Board of the journal "Faces of War" (Lodz, Poland)

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Participation in the activities of scientific and social institutions

• since 2011 – member of the Commission on Balkan Studies at the Poznan Branch of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Poznan, Poland).
• since 2012 – member of the Waldemar Ceran Research Centre for the History and Culture of the Mediterranean Area and South-East Europe (Ceraneum) (Lodz, Poland)
• since 2013 – member of the Byzantinological Commission of the Polish Historical Association (Warsaw, Poland)
• since 2016 – member of the Commission for the Historical Geography and Spatial Analysis of Byzantium of the International Association of Byzantine Studies (Vienna, Austria)
• since 2017 – member of Център за медиевистични изследвания към Историческия факултет на Великотърновския Университет "Св. св. Кирил и Методий" (Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria)
• since 25.11.2023 – Head of the Byzantinological Commission of the Polish Historical Association (Warsaw, Poland)

My research interests include the following:

• Medieval Bulgarian history (7th–14th centuries).
• Byzantine-Bulgarian relations during the Middle Ages, especially military struggles and mutual perceptions between Byzantines and Bulgarians
• Historical geography and geopolitics of the Balkan Peninsula in the Middle Ages
• Byzantine militarism
• Byzantine literature: historiography, epistolography, rhetoric and military manuals
• History of the mountains and their inhabitants in the Middle Ages
• Medieval capitals (Constantinople, Great Preslav, Veliko Tarnovo)
• The Bible in the literature and culture of the medieval Balkans

Professional titles and degrees

• 19.02.2001 – obtaining the degree of Master of Arts in archaeology on the basis of the thesis entitled Veliko Tarnovo in the Late Middle Ages and its fortifications (supervisor: prof. dr. hab. Leszek Kajzer)
• 25.03.2010 – conferring the degree of Doctor of Humanities in history on the basis of a dissertation entitled 'The significance of Haemus and its fortresses in the armed struggle between Byzantium and Bulgaria, 7th-11th c.' (supervisors: prof. dr hab. Waldemar Ceran / dr hab. Maciej Kokoszko, prof. UŁ)
• 26.11.2020 – conferment of a postdoctoral degree in history on the basis of a scientific achievement entitled 'Bulgaria and Byzantium: contexts of interaction in the Middle and Late Byzantine eras'
• 01.12.2021 – employment as professor at the University of Lodz

Academic awards

• 1995–2000 – three times awarded with a congratulatory letter from the Rector of the University of Lodz for academic achievements (during studies)
• 2013 – First Degree Award of the Rector of the University of Lodz (team) for the book entitled Constantinople - New Rome. City and People in the Early Byzantine Period, ed. by M.J. Leszka, T. Wolińska, Warsaw 2011.
• 2016 – Second Degree Award of the Rector of the University of Lodz (team) for the book entitled Bulgarian Tsarism. Politics–society–economy–culture, 866–971, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN SA, Warsaw 2015, pp. 385 [co-author M.J. Leszka].
• 2017 – First Degree Prize of the Rector of the University of Lodz (individual) for a series of publications entitled Byzantium and Bulgaria in the 7th-14th centuries. Rivalry and coexistence.
• 2019 – Second Degree Prize of the Rector of the University of Lodz (team) for a book entitled Peter I the Holy, Tsar of Bulgaria (c. 912-969). Maria Lekapena, Tsarina of Bulgaria (c. 912-?963), Avalon Publishing House, Kraków 2018, pp. 347 [co-authors: Z.A. Brzozowska, M.J. Leszka].

Scholarships and internships

• 2007 – Scholarship of the Bureau for Academic Recognition and International Exchange of the Ministry of Polish Foreign Affairs (internship at the Department of Bulgarian History, Sofia University).
• 2011–2014 – Scholarship of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland for outstanding young scientists
• Honours
• 2016 – Bronze Medal for Long Service awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland
• Research projects
• 2007–2010 – Constantinople – New Rome and its inhabitants 4th–early 7th century (KBN – NN108 2693 33; University of Łódź) - project participant
• 2012–2014 – Standards of Everyday Life in the Middle Ages and in Modern Times, an Erasmus Intensive Programme, sponsored by the Lifelong Learning Programme of EU (Cyril and Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria) - project participant
• 2015–2018 – Bulgaria in 927–969: the era of Tsar Peter I the Pious (NCN, Harmony – UMO-2014/14/M/HS3/00758; University of Lodz) – project participant
• 2014–2019 – Vlachs in European and Polish cultural space. Migrations - settlements - cultural heritage (MNiSW – 0604/NPRH3/H12/82/2014; Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan) – project participant