Profile

Social psychologist. Her professional interests include human relationships and ways of providing psychological support. She studies factors influencing close relationships, such as time, career model, conflicts between the professional and family roles, specific characteristics and experiences of partners in a relationship, and perception of time and its consequences.

She is especially interested in human behavior in crisis situations. She organized a series of interdisciplinary meetings on “Crises, catastrophes, and disasters”, which resulted in several books on threats impacting contemporary individuals and communities, with a focus on discrimination and exclusion.

She authored over 100 publications. She is also a proponent of applied science.

In 2012, she was awarded a Platynowy laur Pro Publico Bono [Platinum Laurel Pro Publico Bono] for her engagement in the local community in Silesia. In 2016, she was in the top ten most influential women of Silesia. She is a co-founder of the Gniazdo Foundation, supporting disadvantaged families in Katowice, Instytut Współczesnego Miasta [Contemporary City Institute], and Stowarzyszenie Zrównoważonego Rozwoju Śląska LIBRA [Society for the Sustainable Development LIBRA]. She is also a Board Member of the Giesche Foundation.

As an educator and expert, Professor Popiołek often appears in the media, where she popularizes psychological knowledge and provides expert commentaries. Her lectures on SWPS University’s YouTube channel enjoy great popularity.

At SWPS University in Katowice, she teaches professional ethics for psychologists and is a thesis advisor.