Martyna Szoja is a Polish PhD scholar at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, interested in peacebuilding, nuclear disarmament, and East Asian security. Her PhD research specializes in China’s nuclear non-proliferation policies. Martyna holds an MA in Chinese Studies from the University of Würzburg and a BA in Chinese and Eastern European Studies from the University of Warsaw.
Martyna has pursued extensive international academic experience, including study exchanges at Peking University and Tsinghua University in Beijing, and a visiting research position at the Hiroshima Peace Institute (HPI) (Jan–Mar 2025), where she carried out a project on Japanese and Chinese nuclear non-proliferation policies. From October 2025, she continues her work as an affiliated researcher within the Research Training Group 2833 “East Asian Futures”, supported by a Hanns Seidel Foundation scholarship, previously supported also by the OPCW.
Alongside her academic path, Martyna is deeply engaged in global civil society. She is a member of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Youth Leaders Fund for a World Free from Nuclear Weapons, the CTBTO Youth Group, and the World Youth Alliance, combining research with advocacy for human dignity, peace, and international cooperation.
Her intellectual pursuits extend beyond political science into theology and the arts, especially theatre. As a member of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC/AICT, under UNESCO) she views theatre as vital tools for cultural dialogue and peace education. Inspired by her devotion to St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe and St. John Henry Newman, Martyna seeks to integrate scholarship, civic engagement, and faith into a holistic witness of peace and reconciliation.
