Dominika Kunc, M.Sc., a doctoral student from the Department of Artificial Intelligence, received the Young Researchers Award for outstanding interdisciplinary achievements. The award was given at the same ceremony in which our Doctoral School won the ProDok 2026 'Doctoral School of the Year' competition.

Our young researcher specialises in affective computer science, in which she combines artificial intelligence, psychology, and human physiology. She develops methods for recognising emotions based on physiological signals collected by smart wearable devices, such as watches and bands.

She co-developed the Emognition system and carried out the LarField study, which produced one of the world’s largest sets of data on emotions in everyday situations. The set includes over 35,000 hours of physiological signal recordings and more than 18,000 emotion state labels from 167 individuals.

The results of her research may help develop tools for supporting mental health, including for stress monitoring and psychotherapy.

Dominika Kunc is the author of over 20 scientific publications. She also collaborates with researchers from the University of Southern California and Northeastern University in the USA, including with Prof. Lisa Feldman Barrett, a recognised expert in the psychology of emotions.

“I did not expect to win. The competition had stages – first, each university selected one candidate in three categories: for scientific achievements, popularisation, and interdisciplinary work. Being chosen to represent Wrocław University of Science and Technology was already an honour for me. In the next stage, I competed with representatives of other Polish universities, not expecting to win the main prize,” says Dominika Kunc.

“It is a huge honour for me, a great conclusion to my doctorate and motivation to continue research with the Emognition team in the Department of Artificial Intelligence.”

Wrocław University of Science and Technology wins the "Doctoral School of the Year" title

During the same event, our Doctoral School was awarded the title "Doctoral School of the Year" in the nationwide ProDok 2026 competition. ProDok, the doctoral community contest, is organised by the National Representation of Doctoral Students. The goal is to distinguish doctoral schools and student governments that are particularly dedicated to the development of the doctoral environment in Poland.

The Wrocław Tech’s Doctoral School was proposed for the competition by the Doctoral Students' Council of our university. The winning project "Pearls of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology Doctoral School" presented solutions supporting young scientists in conducting research, career development, and daily functioning at the university.

One of the most important initiatives was the minigrants programme, which allowed 76 doctoral students to receive over PLN 1.2 million to spend on their research, equipment, scientific internships and training.

The school also offers scholarships that are among the highest in Poland, and over 98% of doctoral students are satisfied with the support they receive from their supervisors. Wrocław Tech has also introduced the Code of Good Practice for Supervisors and limited the number of compulsory teaching hours in the final year of study.

The award was largely due to the School's cooperation with the Doctoral Students’ Council. Its members participate, among others, in recruitment procedures, committee works, and in actions aimed at improving the quality of education and scholarships.

Our Doctoral School has taught students since 2019 and provides education in 13 scientific disciplines. Currently, it has 1000 students.