The Council of the National Science Centre has selected its new president. Prof. Robert Hasterok from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Silesia will be the president for the term 2022-2024.
On Friday, 30 December 2022, a ceremony was held at the headquarters of the National Science Centre to hand over the appointments of the new members of the NCN Council. The Council for the new term included 12 people, who received their nomination acts from Prof. Włodzimierz Bernacki, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Education and Science. The NCN Council composed of the new members held its first meeting the same day.
To become a member of the Council, a person must possess a doctoral degree or higher. This body operates within a 4-year term of office, and every 2 years half of its members are replaced. According to the rules and regulations, the president is selected during the first meeting of the term. This time Prof. Robert Hasterok from the University of Silesia was appointed to fulfil this function. The new NCN president will perform his duties until December 2024.
Prof. Robert Hasterok is a biologist associated with the University of Silesia from the very beginning of his scientific career. His research interests are in cytogenetics and plant molecular cytogenetics, as well as the organisation of the plant nuclear genome at the chromosome level analysed using model species of the genus Brachypodium. He is the leader of the Plant Molecular Cytogenetics and Biology Team operating within the Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection of the University of Silesia. Prof. Robert Hasterok is a co-founder and participant of the International Brachypodium Initiative and a member of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Plant Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Polish. Director or co-director of numerous research projects, as well as the work of expert teams. Participant in multiple scientific fellowships in various foreign institutions, author or co-author of over 80 scientific articles. He has participated in the Council of the National Science Centre since 2020.
For more details regarding Prof. R. Hasterok’s scientific achievements, please visit www.ncn.gov.pl and www.wbios.us.edu.pl/hasterok.
Prof. Robert Hasterok. Photo by Julia Agnieszka Szymala