The MESOPOLHIS laboratory is pleased to welcome Robert Pyka, a professor of sociology at the University of Silesia in Katowice, from October 17 to November 17, 2026. This stay is part of the Research Intervention Fund (FIR) for invited researchers at Aix-Marseille University.
Robert Pyka is a recognized expert in the analysis of urban and metropolitan processes. He has held various academic positions, including Vice-Dean for Research and Internationalization at the Faculty of Social Sciences of his university, and Scientific Director of the Institute of Sociology at the University of Silesia. He currently heads the Observatory of Urban and Metropolitan Processes at the University of Silesia.
His expertise is also sought by European scientific structures and institutions. He is an expert for the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Union and an evaluator for the National Research Agency (ANR) in France. He is also a member of the scientific committee of the Maison des Sciences Sociales et des Humanités in Lyon and Saint-Étienne. Since 2024, he has served on the board of the International Association of French-Speaking Sociologists (AISLF), chairing its commission on 'Democracy and Governance'. In 2023, he was appointed Knight of the Order of Academic Palms by the French Prime Minister for his commitment to Franco-Polish scientific cooperation.
His research focuses on the evolution of cities and metropolises, decentralization, territorial governance, globalization, and metropolization, with a focus on social innovations as a source of creativity. France and Poland have been privileged fields of analysis for Robert Pyka, which he is now expanding to other states and societies, particularly North American ones.
During his stay at MESOPOLHIS, he will focus on the research project titled 'Marseille's production of urban alternatives through social innovation. Functioning of third places in the Mediterranean context – the case of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis'. He will also explore the relationships between creative collectives/innovation hubs and municipal/metropolitan institutions in terms of their capacity to absorb innovative ideas from the grassroots to inform urban public policies.
His work is linked to the transversal axis 'urban studies' of the laboratory. His referent within the laboratory is Sylvie Mazzella. Contact: robert.pyka[at]us.edu.pl. Locations: Maison méditerranéenne des sciences humaines et sociales (Mmsh) & Espace Philippe Séguin (EPS).
