Prof. Maciej Żylicz, PhD habil.

President of the Board

tel.: +48 22 845 95 01

e-mail: maciej.zylicz@fnp.org.pl

CV

CV (more extensive CV with list of publications) Professor Maciej Zylicz was born in 1953 in Gdansk. He studied experimental physics and biology at the University of Gdansk. In 1980 he completed his PhD in biochemistry, in 1986 he was awarded his habilitation degree in molecular biology, and in 1992 he received the title of Professor. In the years between 1980 and 1999 he worked at the University of Gdansk, where he was the head of the Department of Molecular Biology (1991-1999) and vice-rector for science (1990-1993). From 1982 to 1984 he was a postdoctoral fellow at University of Utah and Stanford University. In 1993 and 1994 he was a visiting professor at the Institute of Oncology of the University of Utah, School of Medicine. In 1999-2018 he worked at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw (1999-2016, head of the Molecular Biology Department). In 2005 he was elected President (Executive Director) of the Foundation for Polish Science (2005-present). The laboratory lead by Maciej Zylicz (since 2000, a joint laboratory, coheaded with his wife, prof. Alicja Zylicz) was among the first to show that heat shock proteins possesses molecular chaperone activity. At the onset of his postdoctoral career Maciej pioneered the methodology and isolated the first heat shock proteins and described their biochemical and biophysical properties. Afterwards Maciej?s group elucidated the molecular mechanism of action of heat shock proteins in the initiation of DNA replication, transcription and proteolysis. They also presented inceptive and introductory mechanistic evidence that heat shock proteins act as molecular chaperones by protecting other proteins from aggregation and dissociate already existing protein aggregates. Moreover, Maciej?s group was one of the first to describe that elements of the proteolytic machinery possess chaperone activity. Recently, Maciej?s and Alicja?s laboratory discovered that molecular chaperones are required for the transcriptional activity of wild-type p53 tumour suppressor protein and that it?s chief negative regulator the MDM2 oncoprotein possesses intrinsic chaperone-like activity. Moreover, they were among the first to present evidence that heat shock proteins are also directly involved in gaining new oncogenic functions of mutated p53 tumour suppressor, leading to tumour development, metastasis and acquisition of chemoresistance of breast cancer patients. Recently, they showed that the expression profile of heat shock genes creates a prognostic signature which can be used to predict the clinical outcome of breast cancer. Professor Zylicz is a full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, member of the German National Academy of Sciences - Leopoldina, Academia Europae and the European Cancer Research Academy, and corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), and was a member of its Council in 2003-2007. In 2008-2010 he chaired the Molecular and Structural Biology and Biochemistry Panel (LS1) of the European Research Council. He also served as the Polish delegate to the European Molecular Biology Conference (2000-2004) and the European Science Foundation (2003-2005). He was a member of the ERC Identification Committee (2010-2013). He was awarded the title of honorary doctorate from several Universities: University of Wroclaw (2007), University of Gdansk (2011) and Jagiellonian University (2013). He acted as science advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland (2010-2015). Since 2012 he has been a member of Max Planck Senate and since 2020 a member of the Trustee Committee of the Körber European Science Prize.     Publications and speeches

• Article: Święty Graal innowacyjności, ["Saint Graal of innovation"] "Rzeczpospolita", 11th November 2013
• Article ?Potrzebujemy dalszych zmNauka3_2012_02-Zyliczian? [?We need more changes?], Nauka 3/2012
• Article: On higher education reform ? Contribution to debate, Forum Akademickie, issue 1/2011
• Article: ?Polish Science Reforms Bring Fear and Hope?, Science weekly, 19th March 2010
• Article: ?Z czwartej setki? [?In the 300s?] (Summary of 20 years of reform of Polish sciences and education), Forum Akademickie, issue 7-8/2009
• Speech: Investments in science are investments in the future, Poland Club 2015+, 26th November 2008
• Article: ?Reforma sektora nauki? [?Reform of the science sector?] (co-author)
• Article: "On higher education reform" for the Sprawy Nauki [?Science Matters?] annual

Marta Łazarowicz-Kowalik, PhD

Deputy President of the Board

tel.: +48 22 845 95 07; 604 125 048

e-mail: marta.lazarowicz@fnp.org.pl

CV

Graduate of the Faculty of Polish Studies at the University of Warsaw. Also there, she received her doctoral degree in 2016 from the Faculty of Sociology. Her research interests are the sociology of science and the determinants of scientific success and academic career. She has worked with the Foundation for Polish Science since 2007, from the beginning focused on evaluation and programme analysis, especially career development of the Foundation’s beneficiaries, equal opportunities, along with evaluation mechanisms and criteria of scientific projects. Since 2012, she has been responsible for the implementation of “The European Charter for Researchers” and “The Code of Conduct for Recruitment.” Moreover, she serves as an expert for the European Commission in assessing the progress of other institutions in this regard. She is involved in international networks, including Science Europe, Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment, and Philea Research Forum. Her previous work experience was in the non-governmental sector. Among other places, she worked at the PZU Foundation (2004–2007), the Ashoka: Innovators for the Public (2000–2002), and the Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland (2000–2003). Between 2003 and 2004, she served as Secretary of the III Sektor (3rd Sector) editorial board, a quarterly dedicated to building scientific background for NGOs and presenting knowledge on the development of civil society in Poland and around the world. Before joining the NGO community, she worked as a journalist in the economic press: Życie Gospodarcze, Gazeta Bankowa, Businessman Magazine. She has been appointed Deputy President of the FNP Board as of October 1, 2023.

Tomasz Perkowski, PhD

Deputy President of the Board

tel.: +48 22 845 95 01

e-mail: tomasz.perkowski@fnp.org.pl

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Born on 9 May 1969 in Warsaw. He graduated from the Faculty of Marine Fisheries and Food Technology at what is now the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin in 1993. He obtained his doctoral degree cum laude in 1997 at his home university. He has also completed postgraduate studies in Environmental Science and Policy at the Central European University in Budapest and a Master of Business Administration course at Szczecin University. He was a Junior Fellow of the Regional Environmental Centre in Budapest (1994), the German Marshall Fund (1995) and the Open Society Foundation (1998). In 1997 he received a young scientist medal from the Szczecin Scientific Society. During his studies his various duties included being a member of the board of Coalition Clean Baltic, an international nongovernmental organization focused on protecting the Baltic Sea, and a member of the National Selection Committee of the Global Environmental Facility Small Grants Programme. In January 1999 he was appointed director of the Social Communication Department of the West Pomeranian Regional Health Fund. From March to December 2000 he was employed at the Szczecin Municipal Board Press Office. He was a member of the National Environmental Protection Fund?s Supervisory Board in 2001. He joined the Foundation for Polish Science in December 2000 as its director for development. Following a decision of the Foundation Council, he was appointed vice-president of the Foundation Board on 1 December 2001.  

Prof. Krzysztof Pyrć, PhD habil.

Expert/Board Advisor, President-elect of the Board

tel.: +48 693340642

e-mail: pyrc@fnp.org.pl

Prof. Grażyna Jurkowlaniec

Chair of the FNP's Council

e-mail: g.jurkowlaniec@uw.edu.pl

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Born in 1971 in Bogatynia, Jurkowlaniec received a master?s degree in art history from the University of Warsaw in 1995, where she also prepared her doctoral dissertation in 2000 and obtained habilitation in 2009. In 2019, Jurkowlaniec received the title of professor of humanities. Since 2000, she has been employed at the University of Warsaw; in 2000?2019 as an Assistant Professor; from 2019 as Associate Professor. Jurkowlaniec deals with the artistic and religious culture of the late Middle Ages and the early modern period, with particular emphasis on iconography and the function and reception of artworks, especially in the context of religious disputes. In recent years, her research mainly concerns old graphics, book illustrations, and more broadly, the beginnings of the printing culture in the fifteenth to seventeenth century. Jurkowlaniec conducted research or classes in various European centers: at the Humboldt-Universität in Berlin and the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Scholarship 2010), at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (Andrew W. Mellon East-Central European Research Fellows Program, 2005/2006), but also in Rome (Lanckoroński Foundation Scholarship, 2003 and 2007), Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel (2009, 2010, and 2019), Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften in Bad Homburg (2017), KU Leuven (2015), and Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum Geschichte Kultur Ostmitteleuropas in Leipzig (2006). Jurkowlaniec implemented two and is currently managing the third research project financed under the OPUS program of Poland?s National Science Centre. She authored three monographs and numerous articles in magazines, including Artibus et Historiae, Barockberichte, Biuletyn Historii Sztuki, Konsthistorisk tidskrift, Kwartalnik Historyczny, Pamiętnik Literacki, Print Quarterly, Religions, Annual Art History, Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte, and in separately published collections of articles. Jurkowlaniec?s doctoral dissertation received the Prime Minister?s award, while the book that enabled her to obtain habilitation was published in the FNP MONOGRAFIE competition series and received the Award of the First Department of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Moreover, Jurkowlaniec acts as a translator (among others, of Umberto Eco and Erwin Panofsky) and book editor (two volumes co-edited by her recently appeared in Routledge). At present, she is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Early Modern Christianity and the scientific council of Ikonotheka (the Institute of Art History at the University of Warsaw) and Eikón Imago (Departamento de Historia de Arte, Universidad Complutense de Madrid). Jurkowlaniec performed various administrative functions at the University of Warsaw. She was the Director of the Institute of Art History in 2012?2016, the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of History (2016?2020), the Chairwoman of the Scientific Council for Art from 2019, and the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Culture from 2020. Furthermore, since 2015, she is a member of the Art Sciences Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Scientific Council of the Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In 2013?2020, Jurkowlaniec was a jury member of the Nicolaus Copernicus Polish-German Research Award (2018?2020 also as the Chairwoman), jointly awarded by the Foundation for Polish Science and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; and ? in 2018-2019 ? she was a member of the Ethics and Good Practices Committee of the FNP. She worked in many teams of experts ? often as a chairwoman ? of the National Science Centre, but als in evaluation panels of the European Research Council, the Foundation for Polish Science, and the National Agency for Academic Exchange. In 2014?2016, she was a member of the Council of Poland?s National Programme for the Development of Humanities, and she regularly reviews applications for various domestic and foreign agencies. Jurkowlaniec is a member of the FNP Council from September 1, 2020. More information

Prof. dr hab. Jacek Jemielity

Deputy chair of the FNP's Council

e-mail: j.jemielity@cent.uw.edu.p

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Prof. Piotr Garstecki

Member of the FNP's Council

e-mail: garst@ichf.edu.pl

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Born in 1975, Professor Piotr Garstecki is a faculty member at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry in 2001, focusing on self-organizing cubic phases in amphiphilic mixtures. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship with Professor George Whitesides' research group at Harvard University, where he co-developed foundational insights into the dynamics and applications of multiphase microfluidic systems. Professor Garstecki’s research interests encompass the formation and transport of droplets and bubbles in microfluidic systems, high-throughput screening, and the development of automated microfluidic platforms for biochemistry and diagnostics. Among his significant scientific achievements are the development of digital PCR tests, automated systems for long-term microorganism incubation, and methods for studying membrane proteins. He has attracted substantial research funding, including prestigious grants such as the ERC Starting Grant of €1.75 million and the EIC Accelerator Grant of €2 million. He has authored over 150 scientific publications, with an H-index of 49 according to ISI Web of Knowledge (62 on Google Scholar), and holds 27 granted patents along with 77 patent applications. He is multiple laureate of competitions by the Foundation for Polish Science, including KOLUMB, MISTRZ, POWROTY/HOMING, TEAM, and TEAM-TECH In the business realm, Professor Garstecki has co-founded several innovative companies in the medtech industry. Notably, he founded Curiosity Diagnostics, which developed the PCR|ONE rapid molecular diagnostic system—one of the largest transactions in Poland's medical sector following its sale to Bio-Rad Laboratories in 2022. He is also a co-founder of Bacteromic, specializing in advanced bacterial antibiotic susceptibility testing systems, and Edocera, which aims to create technology for stroke detection. Furthermore, Professor Garstecki established Scope Fluidics, the first medtech venture studio in Central and Eastern Europe, now listed on the sWIG80 index. His entrepreneurial achievements earned him the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for International Expansion in 2024. He has supervised 13 Ph.D. students and co-supervised two others at Harvard University. He co-organizes the "Road to Harvard" competition, promoting education at prestigious institutions among Polish students. He is also deeply committed to science outreach. His popular science articles, published in Wiedza i Życie and Świat Nauki, make complex scientific topics accessible to the general public. He also delivers lectures and workshops at schools, student organizations, and science festivals, inspiring future generations of scientists and innovators. He is a member of the FNP’s Council since September 1, 2020.

Prof. dr hab. n. med. Jacek Jassem

Member of the FNP's Council

e-mail: jjassem@gumed.edu.pl

Prof. Tomasz Łuczak

Member of the FNP's Council

e-mail: tomasz@amu.edu.pl

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Born on March 13, 1963, in Poznań, Łuczak graduated in mathematics (1984) and physics (1990) at the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań, where he also obtained doctorate in mathematics in 1987, habilitation in 1990, and professorship in 1994. Łuczak deals with the application of combinatorial, probabilistic, and algebraic methods in mathematics, computer science, and physics. He is the author or co-author of over 180 works devoted to these matters and, together with Svante Janson and Andrzej Ruciński, Łuczak co-authored the monograph Random Graphs. He conducted research in many foreign centers, such as: Institute for Mathematics and its Applications in Minneapolis (postdoctoral fellowship), Emory University in Atlanta (as visiting professor in 1994?2012), Cambridge University, Universidade de S?o Paulo, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Rockefeller University in New York, Universität Bielefeld, Microsoft Research Center in Redmond, the University of Melbourne, Mittag-Leffler Institute in Stockholm, Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics in Los Angeles, the University of Edinburgh. Łuczak presented his research results, among other places, at the International Congress of Mathematicians (Madrid 2008), the European Congress of Mathematics (Paris 1992, Stockholm 2004, Krakow 2012), and Congreso Latinoamericano de Matemáticos (Santiago 2009). He was awarded with Kazimierz Kuratowski Prize (1991), the Prize of the European Mathematical Society (1992), the Prize of the Foundation for Polish Science in exact sciences (1997), the Stefan Banach Medal (2014), and the Wacław Sierpiński Medal (2018). Since 1998, Łuczak has been a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Member of the FNP Council since September 1, 2020.

Prof. dr hab. Paweł Ostaszewski

Member of the FNP's Council

e-mail: postaszewski@swps.edu.pl

Prof. dr hab. Zofia Szweykowska-Kulińska

Member of the FNP's Council

e-mail: zofszwey@amu.edu.pl