Ethnologist, cultural and political anthropologist, Latin Americanist, First Polish researcher conducting long-term systematic field research in Latin America; between 1993 and 2015, she conducted research under 11 scientific grants funded by: KBN (Research Committee), MNiSW (Ministry of Science and Higher Education), NCN (National Science Centre) and EC.
She specialises in the study of ethno-cultural and ethno-political issues of the Andean region, top-down and bottom-up mechanisms of change and different contexts and forms of violence (micro and macro). She was the first in Poland to undertake research and introduce the issues of narco-violence, narcoterrorism and cultural concepts of gender, the different identities of Indian and Métis women analysed from etic and emic perspectives.
She is an author of 8 monographs and 90 articles published in Polish, Spanish and English, a member of 14 Polish and foreign scientific societies and 8 editorial boards of research periodicals. She has been a visiting professor at several European and Latin American universities and has participated in more than 100 international conferences.
She has supervised 8 doctoral dissertations, 110 master's theses, 90 bachelor's theses and 25 postgraduate theses at the UL and UW (University of Warsaw).
She is a founder of the Department of Latin American Studies at the University of Lodz, the only academic unit from Poland included in the international network of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences. Initiator of the Conflict Centre established at the UITM in 2013.
She was awarded with the Golden Cross of Merit in 2005 by the President, and in 2015 for Long Service. She is a recipient of the University of Lodz Rector's Award and the international Margarita von Bretano Prize awarded in 2013 by the Freie Universität for her special contribution to research in gender studies.
On 17 November 2017, Prof. Magdalena Śniadecka-Kotarska obtained the rank of Counsellor Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and on 24 November 2017, she received a nomination from the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, as Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Peru and countries of additional accreditation: Ecuador and Bolivia.
