Professor Jacek Kuźnicki Receives the Minister of Science and Higher Education Award for Lifetime Scientific Achievements
Professor Jacek Kuźnicki, PhD, DSc, a leading Polish neurobiologist, has been honored with the Minister of Science and Higher Education Award for his more than four decades of scientific work and contributions to the advancement of science. This distinction highlights his pivotal role in neurodegeneration research and in shaping science policy in Poland and Europe.
Professor Jacek Kuźnicki, leader of the Laboratory of Neurodegeneration in the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw
Jacek Kuźnicki is a neurobiologist specializing in the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. He is also an expert in calcium homeostasis and intracellular signaling. Over his career, he has authored 160 scientific articles, accumulating 6,198 citations (according to Research Gate) and has supervised 19 PhD dissertations. In addition to his scientific contributions, Professor Jacek Kuźnicki is an experienced science manager and an active participant in discussions on the state of research in Poland.
Co-Founder of the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Professor Kuźnicki is one of the co-founders of the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw (IIMCB). He served as its director from 1999 to 2018, significantly contributing to the institute’s dynamic development and its establishment as an internationally recognized research institution. In the evaluation by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education for 2005-2008, IIMCB ranked first in the field of biology and subsequently received the highest A+ category three times, a distinction it retains to this day.
During his tenure as director, the institute’s researchers published approximately 900 scientific articles in prestigious international journals, with over two-thirds appearing in the top quartile of the Thomson Reuters ranking. IIMCB also participated in 24 projects within European Union programs, including ERC grants.
Professor Kuźnicki’s achievements extend beyond research management - he has actively supported young scientists, educators, and mentoring programs. One of his notable initiatives is the BioCentrum of Scientific Education, established in 2002, which fosters engagement between the public, scientists, and their research.
Neurodegeneration, Longevity, and Groundbreaking Discoveries
Despite his many leadership roles, the laboratory has remained Jacek Kuźnicki’s primary focus. In the 1970s, he demonstrated the widespread occurrence of calmodulin and its role in enzyme activation, a discovery crucial to understanding intracellular signaling. His subsequent research led to the identification of calcyclin (S100A6) and its target protein CacyBP/SIP, significantly advancing knowledge of calcium regulation, ubiquitination, and their links to neurodegeneration.
Since 2001, he has led the Laboratory of Neurodegeneration at IIMCB, investigating the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases. He also headed a research group involved in Alzheimer’s biomarker studies, leading to patented diagnostic methods based on microRNA detection in blood.
Professor Kuźnicki has also pioneered longevity and aging research. He organized and coordinated the PolStu program, which collected a unique genetic dataset from 300 Polish centenarians and immortalized their lymphocytes. This database and cellular resources continue to support Polish research teams and, more recently, international collaborations with groups from Israel and the Netherlands.
A Leader in Science Policy and Research Internationalization
Professor Jacek Kuźnicki is a full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. From 2006 to 2011, he served as an advisor on research programs in Poland and the EU within the Health domain. Between 2011 and 2014, he was a member of the Science Policy Committee, helping shape national research strategies.
In 2013, he received the prestigious "Crystal Brussels (Kryształowa Brukselka)" award, recognizing his leadership in six international research projects under the 7th EU Framework Program. From 2018 to 2022, he was a member of the Council of the National Science Centre (NCN) and served as its chairman from 2020 to 2022. He has frequently spoken in scientific and general media, critically analyzing the state of Polish science and advocating for its development.
"I am grateful for the Minister of Science and Higher Education Award, which summarizes my more than 40-year scientific career and organizational activity for the benefit of science in Poland. Looking at these four decades, I would like to see, in accordance with the government's announcements, a deregulation of Polish science," said Professor Jacek Kuźnicki, PhD, DSc. "Above all, it is necessary to abandon the anti-quality point-based evaluation. The country's security depends on the intellectual advantage provided by investment in high-quality research that translates into technological development," emphasized the recipient of the Minister of Science and Higher Education Award for lifetime achievements.