Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
On December 6, the annual Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) Awards ceremony held at the Royal Castle in Warsaw honored four distinguished researchers: mathematician Rafał Latała, social psychologist Maria Lewicka, biologist Krzysztof Liberek, and chemist Marcin Stępień. Each laureate was awarded a grant of 200,000 PLN.
Prof. Krzysztof Liberek – Life and Earth Sciences
Renowned for his groundbreaking work on molecular chaperones, Prof. Liberek, from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of the University of Gdańsk and the Medical University of Gdańsk, explored the role of these “molecular caretakers” in preventing protein aggregation related to neurological disorders.
Prof. Marcin Stępień – Chemical Sciences
Prof. Stępień, representing the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Wrocław, received accolades for designing novel aromatic compounds with unique structures and properties. These compounds may find applications in LED devices, photovoltaics, medical diagnostics, and phototherapy.
Prof. Rafał Latała – Mathematical-Physical-Engineering Sciences
Recognized for developing mathematical tools enabling the proof of Talagranda’s hypothesis regarding Bernoulli processes, Prof. Latała, from the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics, and Mechanics at the University of Warsaw, has significantly contributed to probability theory.
Prof. Maria Lewicka – Humanities and Social Sciences
Prof. Lewicka, from the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, was honored for formulating and validating a psychological model of attachment to place and place memory. Her work reveals the psychological and social foundations of human functioning related to attachment to roots and memories of a place.