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Lech Wojciech Szajdak
Ph.D. in Pharmacy, Professor of Agronomy, Doctor Honoris Causa
Brief CV
Degrees:
· M.Sc. in Pharmacy, Poznan, Poland, 1977.
· Ph.D. in Pharmacy, Poznan, Poland, 1986.
· Private docent (Dozent, habilitation) in Poznan, Poland, 1999.
· Professor of Agronomy, Poland, 2006.
· Doctor Honoris Causa, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, 2009.
Scholarships:
· 1990: a German language course at Herder Institute, Karl-Marx-University, Leipzig, Germany.
· 1991 and 1993: scholarships at the Department of Chemistry of the Swedish Agriculture University in Uppsala, Sweden.
· 1997: scholarship at the Institute of Ecology and Department of Crop and Soil Science, University of Georgia, Athens, USA.
Work Experience:
· 1977 – 1988: work at the Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy at Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
· 1988 – Now: work at Institute of Agricultural and Forest Environment of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznan, Poland. His work concerns biologically active substances in soils under crop rotation and continuous cultivation of rye, denitrification and the function of shelterbelt in agricultural landscape, biogeochemical barriers in agricultural landscape, chemical and biochemical processes and mechanisms in organic soils.
· 2000 – Now: the head of the Department of Environmental Chemistry at Institute of Agricultural and Forest Environment of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznan, Poland.
· 2004 – Now: a member, the secretary (from 2007) of Scientific Council of the Institute of Agricultural and Forest Environment of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Editorial experience:
· A member of Editorial Board of the monograph on Global Change supported by International Peat Society.
· An editor of the international scientific journal Earth System Science Data.
· An associate Editor-In-Chief of the international scientific journal - Journal of Biological Research (Hong Kong).
· A member of editorial boards of the following scientific international journals: Agronomy Research, Mires and Peat, Peatlands International.
· A guest editor of the special issue on “Restoration of Peatland Soil for Agricultural Use” in Agronomy Research. Part I. 2007, 5(2): 145-200; and Part II. 2008. 6(1): 119-160.
· A guest co-editor of the special issue on “Processes, Mechanism and Utilization of Organic Soils” in Plant and Soil. 2009, 315: 1-324.
Membership in organizations:
The International Peat Society
· 2000 – 2012: International Commission III – “Utilization of Peat and Peatland in Agriculture”.
2000 – 2004: the secretary
2004 – 2008: the chairman
2008 – 2012: re-election as the chairman
· 2004 – Now: a member of Scientific Advisory Board
· 2008 – Now: a member of Climate Change Working Group
· 2010 – Now: a member of Executive Board
The Polish National Committee of International Peat Society
· 2009 – 2011 - 2nd Vice President
· 2011 – Now: a chairperson
Other scientific organizations
· 2001 – Now: Polish Humus Substance Society.
· 2001 – Now: International Humus Substances Society.
· 2006 – Now: European Geosciences Union.
· 2013 – Now: 2nd Vice President of the Green Forest Society, Poland.
Conferences and Congresses:
· 21 – 25 August 2006: the organizer of the session on “Restoration of Peatland Soils for Agricultural Use” during 5th European Conference on Ecological Restoration. Land Use Changes in Europe as a Challenge for Restoration, Greifswald, Germany.
· 2008 and 2012: the member of the scientific Committees of the 13th and 14th International Peat Congress in Tullamore and Stockholm.
· 2007 – Now: the organizer and the convener of the annual session which deals with organic soils, during European Geosciences Union in Vienna, Austria.
· 27 – 28 August 2012: the member of the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on “Humus forms and biologically active compounds as indicators of pedodiversity”, Tartu, Estonia.
Awards:
· 1985 and 1988: two patents issued by Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland for (i) constructing spectrofluorimeter and (ii) an optical unit which doubled the intensity of fluorescence for spectrofluorimeter constructed previously.
· 2003: the award of the Polish Ministry of Education for writing the book ‘Peatlands and Peats’.
· 2007: the award of the Dean of Biology and Ecology Faculty of the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, Belarus.
· 2009: Doctor Honoris Causa at the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia.
· 2011: Forum award for the lecture on “Function of humus and humic acids in transport of biologically active substances in soil” during Science & Technology Days Poland-East, 5th International Forum, Warsaw, November 28-30, 2011 Poland.
Papers:
· More than 450 papers, including 9 books and 75 chapters in monographs.
Selected grants and research projects:
· 1992: ‘Biologically active substances in soils under continuous cropping of rye and crop rotation’ – grant supported by the Foundation of the Polish Science, leader.
· 2001 – 2004: ‘The estimation of volatile compounds from soils under shelterbelts for sustainable development’ – supported by the Foundation of the Polish Science, leader
· 2001 – 2003: ‘Landscape health in Western Poland. Control of diffuse pollution (biogeochemical barriers)’, under an agreement with Cornell University, USA, principal investigator.
· 2002 – 2004: ‘Impact of shelterbelt located on two kinds of soil on the transformation of nitrogen compounds in soils’, doctoral grant of M.S. Teresa Meysner, 3P06S 027 23 – supported by the Foundation of the Polish Science, number of agreement 0497/P06/2002/23, leader.
· 2002 – 2005: ‘Impact of hydrophobicity on the physical properties of peat- moorsh soils’. 3 P06S 054 23 - supported by the Foundation of the Polish Science, leader.
· 2004 – 2006: ‘Comparative estimation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties of humic substances of different genesis’, Belarus-Polish project, BRFFR No X04MS-042, leader.
· 2006 – Now: ‘Nitro-Europe’ – grant supported by the European Union, leader.
· 2008 – 2010: ‘Impact of the age and content of the trees on the denitrification process in soil under shelterbelts and adjoining cultivated fields’ doctoral grant of M.S. Wioletta Gaca, supported by the Foundation of the Polish Science ,leader.
· 2008 – 2010: ‘Efficiency of the shelterbelts on the limit of the nutrients in ground water of agricultural landscape’ doctoral grant of M.S. Renata Jaskulska, supported by the Foundation of the Polish Science, leader.
· 2009 – 2011: ‘Evaluation of chemical biochemical conversions of the acrotelm and catotelm of low-moor and high-moor of peatlands, supported by the Foundation of the Polish Science’, leader.
· 2011 – 2014: ‘The location and function of phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid and the biochemical, physical and chemical properties of peat substrates’, supported by the Foundation of the Polish Science, leader.
· 2011 – 2012: Impact of arctic zone on the chemical and biochemical processes, conversions and transformations in peat layers” ,PEAT‐ACROCATO”. Project is a part of INTERACT WP4 supported by EC, leader.
Interests:
Old china, romantic music, post-impressionists paintings and jogging.
Prof. Dr. Lech Wojciech Szajdak