Research

He specialises in the molecular biology of heat shock proteins, being among the first to identify and isolate them and to recognise their role in the DNA replication. Together with his students, he has demonstrated that these proteins are also involved in the protection of proteins of other types, dissociation of oligomers and protein aggregates, and proteolysis. Since 2000, he is investigating the role of heat shock proteins in the cell transformation showing that tumour suppressor protein p53 require heat shock proteins for its transcriptional activity.

Career

• since 2005 President and Executive Director of the Foundation for Polish Science
• since 1999 Head of the Molecular Biology Department of the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology of Warsaw, Poland
• 1993-1994 Visiting professor, Institute of Oncology at Utah University, USA
• 1992 Professor of molecular biology and Deputy Rector for Scientific Affairs, Gdańsk University, Poland
• 1986 Habilitation
• 1980-1999 Scientific Assistant, University of Gdańsk, Poland
• 1979 Ph.D. in biochemistry, University of Gdańsk, Poland

Functions

• since 2010 Member of the European Research Council Scientific Council Identification Committee and Science Advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland
• 2001-2004 Chairman of the Group for Biological Sciences, Earth and Environment Protection Sciences and a member of he State Committee for Scientific Research
• 2001-2002 Chairman of the Base Research Committee and the chairmen for molecular and structure biology ERC LS1 panel
• 1997-2000 Member of the Polish Research Council (State Committee for Scientific Research)

Honours and Memberships

• 2012 Honorary doctorate, Jagiellonian Univesity in Cracow, Poland
• 2011 Honorary doctorate, University of Gdańsk, Poland
• 2007 Honorary doctorate, University of Wrocław, Poland
• 2002 Prime Minister’s Award for Scientific Achievement
• 1999 Polish Science Prize
• Full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences
• Member of the Academia Europea
• Fellow of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences
• Corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation
• Member of the Senate of the Max Planck Society