Dr Aleksandra Koj

Joining Date: 06/01/2004

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.

During this time, Aleksandra was sponsored to study towards a PhD in sociology by the State Committee for Scientific Research, Poland. She achieved her doctorate in 2003.

Aleksandra has a strong multidisciplinary perspective, built on the successful promotion, formulation and delivery of interdisciplinary research projects. She is experienced in bringing together different disciplines to develop sustainable solutions for such complex problems as urban management and regeneration on a local, regional, national and European level.

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.

In September 2005, Aleksandra was appointed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a Consultant on the socio-economic impacts of integrated and sustainable solutions for problems relating to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

From August 2008, as a UNESCO Research Fellow, Aleksandra has led the social component of the GRC`s UNESCO Chair for the Development of a Sustainable Geoenvironment.

Currently, Aleksandra is responsible for the Delivery and Engagement package of a six year, £10.4M. EC/ERDF funded project. The project, Seren, is developing innovative engineering technologies for commercial applications within the geo-energy area.

Selected Publications

• An IT Based Approach to Assessing Some of the Issues Linked to Problematic Soils. Aleksandra Koj, Muhammad Irfan, Majid Sedighi and Hywel R. Thomas. Conference paper: 4th International Conference on Problematic Soils, 21-23 September 2012, Wuhan, China.
• GRC-UNIDO Decision Information Support System for POPs (GUDISS), GRC-UNIDO Decision Information Support System for POPs (GUDISS), H.R. Thomas, A.M. Koj, M. Eisa and A.O. Ajani. Conference paper: The Sixth International Congress on Environmental Geotechnics , 8-12 November 2010, New Delhi, India.
• Development of Environmental and Social Responsibility (ESR) tools within the environmental sector in Wales. Feasibility report commissioned by the Academic Expertise for Business (A4B), Welsh Assembly Government, 2009
• The clean-up of POPs contaminated sites in developing countries, H R Thomas, A M Koj, M Eisa and A O Ajani. Royal Academy of Engineering publication, Essays on Engineering and Development, 2008.
• Manual Reference Handbook for the Sustainable Remediation of Sites Contaminated by POPs, H R Thomas, A M Koj, Submitted to UNIDO pp246, 2008.
• Social Aspects of POPs remediation, A M Koj, in The Manual Reference Handbook for the Sustainable Remediation of Sites Contaminated by POPs, H R Thomas, A M Koj, Submitted to UNIDO, 2008.
• An Evaluation Tool Measuring and Monitoring Sustainable Development on Brownfields, Dr Aleksandra Koj, Dr Robert Francis. “Towards More Effective and Sustainable Brownfield Revitalisation Policies (REVIT), This report is included in the printed REVIT compendium “Ensuring Sustainability in Brownfield Revitalisation”, 2007.
• Sustainability assessment of brownfield regeneration – a review of different approaches. Aleksandra Koj, Martin Franz, Paul Nathanail. Conference paper: Towards More Effective And Sustainable Brownfield Revitalisation Policies. 2nd International Conference on Managing Urban Land, April 25th – 27th 2007 Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Germany.
• Sustainable development and brownfield regeneration. What defines the quality of derelict land recycling? Martin Franz, Gernot Pahlen, Paul Nathanail, Nicole Okuniek, Aleksandra Koj in: Environmental Sciences June 2006; 3(2): 135 – 151.