About the institution
The University of Silesia in Katowice is one of the largest and most dynamic public universities in Poland, founded in 1968. It serves over 19,000 students and employs nearly 1,900 academic staff, offering 96 study programmes (including English-taught options) and almost 188 specializations. The University provides modern education aligned with labour market needs, supported by strong research teams and advanced infrastructure, including 28 research centres such as the SPIN-LAB.
The University is an active participant in international initiatives and EU-funded programmes (Horizon, Erasmus+, Interreg), currently implementing over 300 projects with academic, industrial and institutional partners worldwide. Internationalization is a key priority, reflected in double-degree programmes, global partnerships, and membership in major networks such as Transform4Europe, EUA and ECIU.
Committed to excellence and inclusivity, the University holds the HR Excellence in Research award and actively promotes equality and ethical research standards. It supports lifelong learning through diverse educational initiatives for all age groups, contributing to regional and global innovation.
For HUMAN-AI, the University of Silesia provides extensive ICT infrastructure including a Moodle e-learning platform, multimedia facilities, MOOCs, videoconferencing systems, and the Silesian Laboratory for research in STEAM, well-being and emerging technologies. The University’s publishing house and academic journal International Journal of Research in E-learning (IJREL) anchor the project’s dissemination strategy.
Team
Dr. hab. Eugenia Smyrnova-Trybulska, Prof. US — Project Coordinator
Professor at the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Research in E-learning (IJREL), coordinator of the DLCC conference, and coordinator of numerous national and international research projects, including HUMAN-AI, IRNet, FITPED, FITPED-AI and FITPED-GAI. Author of more than 380 scientific publications in the field of e-learning methodology, SMART university, STEAM, robotics, AI in education and MOOCs. Creator and methodological consultant of more than 190 e-learning courses and two MOOCs.
Photo: (to be supplied)
Prof. Małgorzata Przybyła-Kasperek
Professor of Computer Science at the University of Silesia, specialising in distributed decision-making systems, conflict analysis, knowledge integration, classifier fusion and explainable artificial intelligence. Her work examines how dispersed, heterogeneous and potentially inconsistent information can be transformed into coherent global decisions. PhD (2011) and habilitation (2018) in multi-agent systems and consensus mechanisms.
Recent work extends to the integration of heterogeneous data through neural networks, adaptive fusion, dimensionality reduction and hybrid systems, as well as to environmental modelling, including solar irradiance forecasting. Alongside her theoretical contribution to knowledge-based systems, she is strongly involved in research on AI in education, collaborating with international teams on how AI and generative AI reshape learning, digital competences and pedagogical readiness across universities.
She has held international teaching and research appointments across Slovakia, Spain, France, Croatia, Germany and the Czech Republic, and has played leading roles (Task Leader, Deputy Coordinator) in several large EU-funded projects, including FITPED, FITPED-AI and FITPED-GAI.
Photo: Foto-EST.tif (to be confirmed)
Dr Tomasz Kopczyński, Associate Professor
PhD in humanities, affiliated with the Institute of Educational Sciences at the University of Silesia. His research focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in education, with particular emphasis on developing logical and mathematical competencies through digital tools, immersive environments, and technology-enhanced learning systems. He investigates the use of AI, educational robotics, virtual reality and hybrid (analogue–digital) teaching aids to support adaptive learning, cognitive development and innovative instructional design.
Photo: Tomasz-Kopczyński-zdjęcie-profilowe.png
Role in HUMAN-AI
As project coordinator, the University of Silesia leads overall management, financial reporting, ethics oversight, dissemination strategy and the integration of partner contributions into joint outputs. The University also leads research on AI methodology in higher education and contributes to all work packages.