prof. dr Stanisław Mariusz Karpiński
Warsaw University of Life Sciences
Department of Plant Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology
Stanisław Mariusz Karpiński (born November 5, 1960 in Poznań) - Polish biotechnologist, professor in biological sciences, in 2012 secretary of state in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, opposition activist in the period of the People's Republic of Poland.
Scientist, inventor, academic teacher. In 1989 he started his doctoral studies at the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU) in Umeå, In 1994 he received a PhD in tree cell and plant molecular biology and in 1995 he was awarded a Swedish government research scholarship for a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the John Innes Center in Norwich, UK. In 1997 he became an assistant professor at SLU in Umea and in the same year he discovered and described in "The Plant Cell" the mechanism of retroactive communication of chloroplasts with the cell nucleus, and in 1999 together with his team discovered and described in "Science" the mechanism of systemic acquired acclimatization (SAA) in plants. This article was additionally promoted in "Compas Science" in the introductory article entitled: "Leaves in the dark see the light". The mechanism of SAA was independently confirmed by groups of professors Pogson and Mittler from Australia and the USA. In 2004, 2007 and 2008, in three consecutive articles in "The Plant Cell", he discovered and described together with his team the molecular and physiological mechanism of programmed cell death (apoptosis) dependent on excess energy absorption and chloroplast retroactive signals. In 2010, his team at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences presented in "The Plant Cell", a systemic mechanism of transmitting electrical signals in response to variable energy absorption by photosystems analogous to the nervous system of animals and physiological light memory in plants. Similarly, in 2022 he discovered and described in "The Plant Cell" the mechanism of transmitting electrical signals between touching leaves of different plants and the molecular mechanism of network-acquired acclimatization (NAA).
In 1999 he was employed at the Stockholm University as a full professor of plant molecular physiology. In Sweden, he was the PI in grants from VR, FORMAS and SSF, as well as in Scandinavian and EU grants. In 2009, he won the first "Welcome" competition (Foundation for Polish Science) and received one of the highest individual research grants in Poland. He was or is the Manager or Chairman of the Consortium in multi-million scientific, research and development grants (KBN, FNP Welcome, NCN OPUS 6, 8, 15, 20, MAESTRO 6, NCBR Biostrateg CROPTECH and ISOR, EU Era Chair). In 2009, he received the title of professor from the President of the Republic of Poland and became a full professor at the Department of Plant Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. He promoted 12 doctors in Sweden and Poland. Since 2000, he has been reviewing research grants from German (DFG), Norwegian (RCN), Swedish (VR, FORMAS) and American (NSF) research gov. agencies. He was an examiner and reviewer of many doctoral dissertations from the Universities of Stockholm, Uppsala, Lund, Umea, Ghent, Bergen, Kiel, Poznań and many others, and an invited reviewer recommending Australian (AAS) and American (NAS of USA) Academy of Sciences. In 2011 - 2013 he was the President Elect at Plant Oxygen Group (POG SFRR). He was an organizer, chairman or invited lecturer at over 50 international conferences and scientific congresses. He was and is invited as a lecturer at Kyoto and Tokyo University in Japan, at Ghent University in Belgium, at LMU in Munich in Germany and at the University of Helsinki in Finland and others.
Together with his teams, he published over 90 experimental articles and several granted and implemented patents (e.g. illumination of stored vegetables and plants in BEKO refrigerators). The average citation of one of his articles exceeds by 3 and 8 times the average citation of one article in biochemistry and molecular biology from the USA or Poland, respectively. In 2012, he became the secretary of state in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, in 2017 - 2018 was the director of the Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute - National Research Institute in Radzików, in 2015 - 2020 and now from 2022 he was and is a member of the National Development Council (NRR) at the President Office of the Republic of Poland. In the years 2011 - 2014 was a member of the Biotechnology Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, since 2015 is a full member of the Warsaw Scientific Society, and from 2000 is a member of the Society of Free Radical Research (SFRR) and the Plant Oxygen Group. Honored in 2022 by the Polish Botanical Society in the jubilee of the 100th anniversary of its foundation with the Medal of Prof. Władysław Szafer Award for outstanding scientific achievements.
He is an active and licensed sports shooter in the LEGIA Warszawa club. He has won many awards and main prizes in pistols and centerfire rifles. In 2021, he became the official Polish Champion in long-distance shooting in the F-T / R competition over a distance of 600 m. Many times he stood on the podium or was classified in the top "10" in the Polish F-class competitions, in the Polish Cup and in the European Championships at distances of 600, 800, 1100+ m and 1000 Yd (914 m).
Honored by the President of the Republic of Poland with the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity, the Gold Cross of Merit, and the Gold Medal for long-term service.
Married since 1985, two adult children.