On Polish Science Day, an award for our scientist
Established in 2020, the Polish Science Day is an opportunity to recall the fundamental importance of scientific research for the development of the country. It has also become an opportunity to honour those particularly involved in scientific and academic activities with the Awards of the Minister of Science.
On the occasion of Polish Science Day, a gala ceremony was held on 18 February 2024 in the auditorium of the Warsaw University of Technology, during which the Minister of Science, Dariusz Wieczorek, presented awards to the most distinguished representatives of the scientific and academic community.
Laureates were honoured for their merits in five categories: significant achievements in research, teaching, implementation, organisational activities and lifetime achievement.
We are extremely pleased to announce that among the winners in the category ‘for significant achievements in scientific activities’ is prof. dr hab. Piotr J. Chmielewski from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Wrocław.
Since the beginning of his professional activity, the professor has been associated with the University of Wrocław. Here he graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry (1980), obtained his doctorate (1985) and habilitation (1997), and of which he has been a professor (since 2000). He obtained his professorial title in 2005.
Prof. Chmielewski’s scientific interests evolved from the coordination chemistry of transition metals with organic ligands to organometallic and purely organic chemistry.
– My research topics mainly include porphyrinoids, organic macrocyclic systems that are analogues or homologues of porphyrins. – says prof. Piotr Chmielewski. – In addition to the synthesis and structural and spectroscopic characterisation of compounds of this type, I study their acid-base, coordination and oxidation-reduction properties. My particular interest is focused on the chiral properties of these systems, separation of stereoisomers, determination of their optical activity and absolute configuration, and dynamics of conformational and configurational transformations.
Professor is also involved in the exploration of interactions in organic and coordination paramagnetic compounds having the character of radicals and biradicals. This research is particularly important in the transformation of anti-aromatic compounds called norkorols, which have the structural features of porphyrin, i.e. a macrocycle in which the four pyrrole subunits are connected by only two (rather than four, as in the case of porphyrins) methine bridges. – These compounds show a different reactivity from aromatic porphyrinoids, but also a higher monomolecular conductivity than porphyrins, and could therefore be a promising object for research into their applications as organic electronic components – explains prof. Chmielewski.
What does the ministerial award mean to you? – I treat this award as an expression of acceptance of the chosen thematic path and an incentive for further research conducted in our laboratory, supported financially by the National Science Centre – emphasises prof. Piotr Chmielewski.
Prof. Chmielewski has collaborated since 1989 with, among others, prof. Lechosław Latos-Grażyński https://uwr.edu.pl/en/prof-lechoslaw-latos-grazynski-a-winner-of-the-heisig-prize/
as part of the Porphyrin and Metalloporphyrin Chemistry Research Group at the Institute of Chemistry and later at the UWr Faculty of Chemistry.
He also collaborates with a group led by prof. Marcin Stępień https://uwr.edu.pl/en/prof-marcin-stepien-is-the-winner-of-the-fnp-prize/
Prof. Piotr Chmielewski is the author or co-author of more than 100 publications in international journals more: The ranking presents both a list of the most influential scientists
More information about the ceremony on 18 February 2024.
https://www.gov.pl/web/nauka/gala-nauki-polskiej4
More about the Polish Science Day celebrations
Complied by Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz
