Katarzyna Zajda is a Professor at the University of Lodz, head of CEIN, sociologist, researcher, and practitioner in cooperation with local action groups, government units, and non-governmental organizations. She graduated from the School for Leaders of Non-Governmental Organizations and the School for Building Local Partnerships. She has been a Heinrich Böll Foundation scholarship holder and the Minister of Science and Higher Education. She was a project manager for the Local Systems of Social Innovation in Rural Areas (NCN, UMO-2015/19/D/HS6/00690). She leads an implementation project titled Utilizing Knowledge on Social Innovations by Rural Non-Governmental Organizations.

1. Rural local communities
2. Local government
3. New methods and instruments of local development
4. Transformations in civil society
5. Rural non-governmental organizations
6. Social economy
7. Implementation of social innovations in rural and urban areas
8. Methodology for studying the process of implementing social innovation.

2005-2006 – Scholarship holder of the H. Böll Foundation, "Rural Areas with a Future, Future in Rural Areas" scholarship program.

2011 – Winner of the competition "Knowledge with Passion. Promoting Young Scientists" for the most innovative young scientists from Polish public and private universities, organized by the B. Markowski Higher School in Kielce.

2012 – Individual third-degree award from the Rector of the University of Lodz for the book titled "New Forms of Social Capital in Rural Areas. A Case Study of Local Action Groups from the Łódź Voivodeship," University of Lodz, Łódź, 2011.

2014 – Team second-degree award from the Rector of the University of Lodz for the book "Structure and Conditions of Social Capital in Local Action Groups," University of Lodz, Łódź, 2013.

Scholarship for outstanding young researchers awarded by the Minister of Science and Higher Education, 2016 edition, 886/STYP/11/2016.

2023 – Individual second-degree award from the Rector of the University of Lodz for the book titled "Implementing Social Innovations by Rural Non-Governmental Organizations and Local Action Groups," University of Lodz Publishing House, Łódź.

2023 – Team third-degree award from the Rector of the University of Lodz for the series of publications titled "Implementing Social Innovations: Measurement and Analysis." The series includes 10 thematic articles co-authored with Dr. Habil. Sławomir Pasikowski, Professor at the University of Lodz.