Ground
deformation
Understanding subsidence, uplift and the time-dependent response of mining and post-mining environments.
Deformation modelling · Geodesy · Uncertainty
Geodesy / Geohazards / Geospatial science
Agnieszka
Malinowska.
Full Professor · AGH University of Krakow
Faculty of Geo-Data Science, Geodesy, and Environmental Engineering
Understanding ground movement.
Reducing geohazard risk.
I connect geodetic observations, satellite radar and deformation models to understand how the ground changes — and what that change means for people, infrastructure and the environment.
World’s TOP 2% Scientists
2025 edition · Stanford–Elsevier citation ranking
Career-long and single-year (2024) lists
Career-long and single-year (2024) lists
International scientific service
ISM · Coordinator of EuropeInternational Society for Mine Surveying
Academic mobility
Erasmus+ · Faculty CoordinatorConnecting students, staff and partner universities
01 Research focus
From ground movement
to informed decisions.
My work brings measurement, physical interpretation and spatial analysis together — from underground workings to the changing land surface.
Ground
Satellite & ground
observations
Combining InSAR with field measurements to investigate spatial patterns, trends and changes in ground movement.
InSAR · Levelling · Time-series analysis
Geohazards &
infrastructure risk
Assessing sinkhole susceptibility and the consequences of ground deformation for buildings, pipelines and land use.
Risk assessment · GIS · Data-driven methods
4D GIS &
environmental change
Connecting mine geometry, monitoring histories and terrain change to study evolving underground and surface conditions.
4D mine models · Data integration · Hydrology
02 Current research questions
Different settings.
Connected questions.
Current research connects long-term mine observations with new ways of organising, analysing and interpreting geospatial evidence.
01 · KLODAWA
How does deep convergence translate into surface movement?
Connecting underground convergence measurements with long-term surface observations to investigate how deformation evolves across mine levels, space and time.
Underground convergence · Surface levelling · Multi-level interpretation
02 · WIELICZKA
Can decades of mine records become one coherent 4D model?
Organising archival plans, mine objects and monitoring records in a time-aware spatial framework. The aim is to trace change while retaining the dates, sources and relationships behind each record.
Object-centred GIS · Archival geometry · Monitoring histories
03 · MINING LANDSCAPES
Which surface signals can help reveal ground-collapse hazards?
Investigating deformation histories alongside geological, mining and site evidence. A central question is when satellite observations are informative — and when their spatial or temporal coverage is insufficient.
InSAR time series · Sinkhole susceptibility · Validation
04 · BOGDANKA
How does ground movement reorganise surface drainage?
Combining deformation scenarios with terrain analysis to investigate changing flow paths and waterlogging susceptibility in mining-affected lowlands.
Terrain models · Deformation scenarios · GIS-based drainage analysis
Field evidence → Spatial interpretation → Model evaluation
Explore the research portfolio03 Selected publications
Research in focus.
Recent work on underground measurements, alongside selected papers on infrastructure risk and satellite monitoring. Explore the full publication record below.
2026
Underground monitoring & measurement validation
Experimental validation of a laser distance measurement system for convergence monitoring in underground salt formations
Measurement: Sensors · 46, 102010 · Pietras & Malinowska
Laboratory and underground validation of a convergence-monitoring system, with an assessment of measurement uncertainty and detectable change.
2022
Infrastructure & risk assessment
A novel fuzzy approach to gas pipeline risk assessment under influence of ground movement
International Journal of Coal Science & Technology · 9, 47 · Malinowska et al.
Connecting deformation and pipeline resistance in a risk-assessment framework that accommodates imprecise information.
2019
Sinkholes & satellite monitoring
Sinkhole occurrence monitoring over shallow abandoned coal mines with satellite-based persistent scatterer interferometry
Engineering Geology · 262, 105336 · Malinowska et al.
Examining satellite-observed deformation before documented sinkhole events and the conditions needed to interpret it.
04 Collaboration & academic exchange
Good science grows
through exchange.
My academic work combines research collaboration, international teaching and engagement with mining practice. Shared questions — rather than disciplinary boundaries — connect geodesy, remote sensing and geohazard research.
- The NetherlandsResearch co-authorship with colleagues at TU Delft and the University of Twente.
- ChinaAcademic visits and teaching at China University of Mining and Technology.
- AustraliaVisiting Lecturer at Curtin University, Western Australian School of Mines, in 2010.
For researchers & industry
Connect a real problem
with a research question.
Research interests include deformation monitoring, model validation, mine-data integration and the assessment of mining-related environmental risk.
Discuss a collaborationFor students & doctoral researchers
Build your research around evidence.
Explore thesis topics connecting geodesy, GIS, satellite observations and environmental risk. For doctoral enquiries, send a short outline of your interests and experience.
Explore student researchFor students & university partners
Erasmus+ & international mobility.
Find partner-university information and contact me about academic mobility and faculty-level Erasmus+ cooperation.
Explore Erasmus+ opportunities05 Academic path
A geodetic perspective
on changing ground.
I am a Full Professor at AGH University of Krakow. My academic path began in geodesy and cartography and developed towards the assessment of ground deformation and its consequences for the built and natural environment.
Since completing my PhD in 2009, I have combined research and teaching with applied work on mining-related risk. My approach brings classical geodetic observations together with satellite measurements, spatial modelling and data-driven analysis.
2005MSc in Geodesy and Cartography
AGH University
AGH University
2009PhD on mining-related risk to surface structures
2010Visiting Lecturer
Curtin University
Curtin University
2024Appointed Full Professor
AGH University of Krakow
AGH University of Krakow