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 Science Prize, the Alfred Lityński Medal awarded by the Polish Hydrobiological Society, the ‘Excellence in Ecology’ Prize granted annually by the International Ecology Institute, and the August Thienemann Medal from the International Society of Limnology.

He was a full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an honorary member of the Ecological Society of America. Twice, he was listed among the top 2% of the world’s most influential scientists—across all scientific disciplines—based on overall scientific impact.

As a researcher, he combined creativity, imagination, scientific passion, and curiosity about the world with profound naturalist knowledge, persistence, integrity, and discipline. He had a reputation as a highly demanding and exceptionally inspiring academic teacher. He instilled the ‘research bug’ in many of his students and thesis advisees, and numerous former students have gone on to become active scientists.

With remarkable drive and energy, he initiated and led various research projects—field-based, laboratory-based, and computational—infecting colleagues and students alike with his enthusiasm.

Maciek’s multifaceted, fascinating personality left a lasting impression on his colleagues and the academic community. His scientific achievements and passion for discovery have left a permanent mark on the history of global ecology.