In Memoriam
Farewell to Dr. Jadwiga Mickiewicz (1931–2025)
With deep sadness we inform you that on August 20, 2025, Dr. Jadwiga Mickiewicz, a retired employee of the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, passed away. She was a graduate of biology at the University of Warsaw and for many years worked at the Department of Plant Systematics and Geography, collaborating, among others, with Assoc. Prof. Irena Rejment-Grochowska. Her research focused on the flora and ecology of bryophytes, particularly in the Suwałki region as well as in wetland and forest communities. She was a co-author of the textbook Zarys briologii (An Outline of Bryology, 1973), the first modern synthesis of knowledge on bryophytes in Polish, as well as the author of numerous scientific publications. Her bryophyte collections are deposited in the Herbarium of the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw. Dr. Jadwiga Mickiewicz was deeply committed to teaching and research and was also actively involved in the Bryological Section of the Polish Botanical Society….
In memory of Igor Olszewski
We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mr Igor Olszewski, a long-standing employee of the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Biology at Warsaw University.
Mr Igor had been with us since 15 May 2007. As the USOS coordinator, as well as the person responsible for arranging the course grid and organising registration, he had one of the key roles in the student deanery. He was not only an excellent organiser of various projects, but also a master of ‘brainstorming’ – able to find solutions where there seemed to be none. Patient, composed and effective. His sense of humour – intelligent, brilliant and often completely surprising – was a source of joy and a healthy distance in his daily work.
Mr Igor was an exceptional man – kind, considerate, always ready to help, often going far beyond his duties. Working with Mr Igor was not only professional, but also simply humanly rewarding. He supported others with great dedication, even in the most difficult moments…
In Memory of Grażyna Kawczyńska
After a long and serious illness, on May 2, 2025, Grażyna Kawczyńska passed away — the long-time Head of the Dean’s Office at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, connected with the Faculty for over 30 years.
It is hard to accept that she is no longer with us, that she will no longer drop by the Dean’s Office, even for a moment, or offer us her help. Mrs. Grażyna oversaw everything, knew everything, and if she didn’t, she would find out. Deans came and went, but she ensured continuity — guiding each new dean through the intricacies of academic bureaucracy and softening the burdens of administration with her warmth and kindness.
Mrs. Grażyna never put things off, was extraordinarily open to people, and bore with astonishing patience and tolerance the various outbursts of frustration or dissatisfaction that we, the academic staff, too often direct toward administration. She was the good spirit of this Faculty, and she should remain for us a true role model — of a serious attitude toward work, of kind and respectful treatment of “clients…
In memory of professor Andrzej Prejs
Professor Andrzej Prejs, an ichthyologist, hydrobiologist and ecologist, died on 30 April 2025. From the beginning of his studies in 1959 until his retirement in 2010, he was associated with the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences and later with the Faculty of Biology at the University of Warsaw.
In 1965, he began an internship at the Department of Hydrobiology, where he remained until the end of his career. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1971, his habilitation in ecology in 1985 and the title of professor in 1999.
His scientific interests focused on fish ecology and its role in the functioning of lake ecosystems, as well as biomanipulation as a method of lake…
Krystyna Kowalska – In Memoriam
On September 6, 2024, we said goodbye to Krystyna Kowalska, the long-time secretary of the Institute of Zoology.
To us, the staff of the Institute of Zoology, she was simply ‘our’ Mrs. Krysia. She passed away at the age of 89. It’s hard to believe that just four years ago, already working part-time, she was still co-managing our office.
Mrs. Krysia was hired on November 1, 1966, at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, from which the Faculty of Biology emerged in 1969. She was a treasure trove of knowledge about the Institute of Zoology. She accompanied us in our daily work from early in the morning—always cheerful, kind, elegant, offering information and administrative support, and often just everyday, human…
Professor Maria Podbielkowska – In Memoriam
Dr habil. Maria Podbielkowska – botanist, cytologist, and long-time academic teacher at the Department of Plant Anatomy and Cytology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw – passed away on August 27, 2024, at the age of 90.
The research profile of the Department of Plant Anatomy and Cytology (formerly the Department of General Botany), led by Rev. Prof. Józef Szuleta, encompassed various aspects of plant growth and development. One of the main areas of Dr Podbielkowska’s research, presented in numerous publications, was the study of the mechanisms by which plant-derived mitosis inhibitors—primarily coumarins—affect cellular processes. She also investigated the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on the growth and function of plant meristematic cells.
She was an excellent educator, highly respected and well-liked by students…
In Memory of Dr Rafał Skoczylas
Dr Rafał Skoczylas passed away on July 11, 2024. He was a retired member of the Department of Animal Physiology of the former Institute of Zoology at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw.
Born in 1937 in Lviv, he spent his childhood and youth in his hometown, then in Poznań, and finally in Warsaw. From an early age, he was passionate about observing nature, a passion he decided to pursue by beginning his studies in 1954 at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences at the University of Warsaw. Even during his studies, he began working at the Institute of Ecology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Dziekanów Leśny, where he completed his master’s thesis, reflecting his then-fascination with ornithology. However, it was…
In Memory of Professor Zbigniew Maciej Gliwicz
Professor Zbigniew Maciej Gliwicz—Maciek—passed away on June 2, 2024, at the age of 85. He was an outstanding biologist, an exceptional academic teacher, and a long-time head of the Department of Hydrobiology at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw.
His impressive scientific output includes several hundred publications, primarily focused on the evolutionary ecology of aquatic organisms and pelagic communities. Many of his highly cited papers, published in the most prestigious scientific journals—including several in ‘Nature’—have had a groundbreaking impact on the modern understanding of aquatic ecosystem functioning and have become part of the global canon of ecological knowledge.
He was the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the ‘Polish Nobel’ – the Foundation for Polish…
In Memory of Professor Aleksandra Skłodowska
With deep sorrow, we received the news of the passing of Professor Aleksandra Skłodowska on May 7, 2024. She had been associated with the Faculty of Biology at the University of Warsaw for decades.
Professor Aleksandra Skłodowska was born on December 20, 1953, in Bytom. She earned her master’s degree in 1977 at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw. Between 1977 and 1981, she worked as an assistant at the Copper Research and Design Institutes in Wrocław.
From 1981 onward, Professor Skłodowska was professionally affiliated with the Faculty of Biology at the University of Warsaw, where she obtained her PhD in 1986, habilitation in 1999, and the title of full professor in 2009. In 2000, on her initiative, the Environmental Contamination Analysis Laboratory was established, which she led for 16 years. For many years, she also served as the head of the Postgraduate Studies Program…
In Memory of Danuta Niedzielska-Starzyk
With deep sadness, we received the news that on January 21, 2024, after a long and serious illness, Danuta Niedzielska-Starzyk passed away. She was the long-time head of the Library of the Faculty of Biology at the University of Warsaw.
Her entire professional life was connected to the Faculty of Biology—first as a staff member of the Department of Parasitology, later of the Library of the Institute of Zoology at the Main School, and from 1988, as its head.
She worked at the Department of Parasitology from 1971 to 1984. She took part in research on the parasitic fauna of the Zegrzyński Reservoir and Żarnowieckie Lake. She devoted much heart and time to this work. She prepared a collection of microscope slides, which to this day serves as educational material in parasitology…
In Memory of Professor Piotr Węgleński
Piotr Węgleński had been associated with the University of Warsaw since the beginning of his studies. He completed his master’s degree and PhD (in 1961 and 1965, respectively) under the supervision of Professor Wacław Gajewski, an outstanding geneticist. After graduating, he joined the Department of Genetics, led by his doctoral advisor.
He taught genetics lab classes for the group I was part of in 1969, as a third-year biology student at the UW. The lectures were given by Professor Wacław Gajewski—fascinating ones—but I remember little from the lab sessions. However, in my fifth year, I attended departmental seminars and a course on ‘Gene Expression Regulation’ taught by Dr Węgleński. That course made me become a geneticist. Dr Węgleński would walk in with the latest issue of ‘Nature’ and share the most current research developments. No one else lectured like…