Four researchers received the 2024 Prize of the Foundation for Polish Science. The prize is given for outstanding research achievements and discoveries. This year’s winners are also the winning applicants of NCN calls.
The Prize of the Foundation for Polish Science is an individual prize awarded by the Council of the Foundation through a call for outstanding research achievements and discoveries that push the boundaries of cognition and open new cognitive perspectives, make an outstanding contribution to the civilisational and cultural progress of our country and give Poland a prominent place in tackling the most ambitious challenges of the contemporary world.
FNP Awards Gala, from left: Prof. Maciej Żylicz, President of the FNP, Dr. Sebastian Glatt, Prof. Krzysztof Sacha, Prof. Marcin Wodziński, Prof. Grażyna Jurkowlaniec, Chair of the FNP Council, Prof. Janusz Lewiński, photo: Paweł Kula/FNP
The winners of the 2024 Prize of the Foundation of Polish Science were:
- Dr hab. Sebastian Glatt, from the Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology, who received the prize in Life Sciences and Earth Sciences for determining the structure and function of the Elongator complex affecting the accuracy of protein biosynthesis. His research focuses on nucleic acid metabolism, gene expression, modification of RNA molecules and regulation of protein synthesis in cells. Sebastian Glatt is a winning applicant of numerous NCN calls (4 x OPUS), and 2021 2021 NCN Award winner in Life Sciences.
- Prof. Janusz Lewiński, from the Faculty of Chemistry at the Warsaw University of Technology and the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences received the prize in Chemical and Material Sciences for developing mechanochemical methods for the synthesis of perovskites to enhance their photovoltaic properties. Prof. Lewinski’s research is multidisciplinary – his interests range from fundamental inorganic and organometallic chemistry to catalysis, chemistry and engineering of materials and functional nanomaterials, as well as nanotechnology. He is a seven-time laureate of NCN calls: he has managed five OPUS projects and two prestigious MAESTRO grants for experienced researchers.
- Prof. Krzysztof Sacha, from the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the Jagiellonian University received a prize in Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences for his formulation of the theory of time crystals. Prof. Sacha is a physicist, and his research work has included quantum chaos, ionisation in strong laser fields and ultra-cold atomic gases. He has been conducting research on temporal crystals for 10 years and is one of the pioneers in this discipline; this research has also been funded by the National Science Centre in OPUS calls. His research group is currently developing timotronics, thanks in part to funding from NCN in the MAESTRO call.
- Prof. Marcin Wodziński, from the Department of Judaic Studies at the University of Wrocław was given the prize in Humanities and Social Sciences for his innovative studies of Hasidism explaining the role of culture, politics and geography in shaping religious identities and interethnic relations. Prof. Wodziński is a historian and an eminent scholar of Hasidism. He is also a winning applicant of the OPUS call, in which he received a grant for research on Poles, Jews and their path to modernity.
Congratulations to all winners!