I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Lodz in Lodz, Poland, and currently a Visiting Professor at Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Montreal, Canada. Previously, I was also a Visiting Researcher at Politecnico di Torino in Turin, Italy.

My scholarly work focuses on urban issues, with particular emphasis on student populations in cities. I investigate student housing and leisure, primarily through the lenses of studentification and gentrification. I have contributed to the academic debate by coining the term 'commercial studentification'.

I have led research projects funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (NCN), the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), and the University of Lodz. My work has been published in leading journals, including Urban Studies, Housing Studies, and Urban Geography.

I am deeply engaged in teaching and academic supervision. I deliver courses on economic geography, urban geography, and urban design. I supervise theses, many of which have received awards from educational and professional organisations. I was also a supervisor of SKN SPATIUM, a student organisation focused on urban studies and planning.

My full CV is available here and a short summary of my work is featured here.

Research fields:

• Urban Studies;
• Urban Geography;
• Housing Studies;
• Leisure Studies;
• Economic Geography;
• Heritage Studies.

Research topics:

• Studentification;
• Gentrification;
• Urban Change & Urban Restructuring.

Selected publications:

• Zasina, J., & Żelazowski, K. (2025). Rooming flats: How financialisation-led densification is spurring inner-city studentification in Lodz, Poland. Urban Studies. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251342404
• Zasina, J., & Jakubiak, W. (2024). Studentification, youthification, and gentrification, all at once? New-builds, newcomers, and near-campus change in a post- industrial city. Bulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series, 64(64), 87–101. https://doi.org/10.12775/bgss-2024-0015;
• Zasina, J., & Nowakowska, A. (2023). Is the ‘student city’ lost? The rhythms of Lodz as a consumption-oriented student city through the COVID-19 pandemic lens. Population, Space and Place, 29(2), e2607, https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2607;
• Zasina, J., Mangione, E., & Santangelo, M. (2023). Nuancing student geographies: Studentscapes in post-industrial cities. Urban Geography, 44(1), 105-127, https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2021.1969142;
• Zasina, J., & Antczak, E. (2023). The ‘gown’ unconcerned with the town? Residential satisfaction of university students living in off-campus private accommodation. Housing Studies, 38(8), 1536–1559, https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2021.1961692;
• Zasina, J. (2021). The student urban leisure sector: Towards commercial studentification? Local Economy, 36(5), 374–390, https://doi.org/10.1177/02690942211051879;
• Zasina, J., Sokołowicz, M.E., & Nogalski, S. (2020). Lodz City Tour: The Changing Nature of the Urban Restructuring of a Post-Socialist Industrial City. disP - The Planning Review, 56(2), 8–19, https://doi.org/10.1080/02513625.2020.1794119;
• Zasina, J. (2018). The Instagram Image of the City. Insights from Lodz, Poland. Bulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series, 42, 213–225. https://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2018-0040.