Two candidates will compete for the post of the Rector of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń for the 2024-2028 term: prof dr habil. Andrzej Tretyn, from the Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, and prof dr habil. Wojciech Wysota, from the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management.
At noon on 18 January, the deadline for the submission of the candidates for the NCU rectorship lapsed. The University Election Committee determined the list of candidates for the upcoming election on the basis of the applications received at its meeting on 19 January. Those running for the position of the Rector of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń for the 2024-2028 term will be:
- dr habil. Andrzej Tretyn from the Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences,
- dr habil. Wojciech Wysota from the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management.
An open election meeting of the electors, who will elect the new Rector, will be held in the NCU Main University Hall Aula on 12 March 2024 at 16:00.
Prof. dr habil. Andrzej Tretyn was born on 12 April 1955 in Mielęcin. In 1974, he took up biological studies at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. After completing these, he was admitted to doctoral studies at the Institute of Botany, University of Wrocław. On 1 December 1981, he was employed at the NCU Department of Cell Biology. After defending his doctoral thesis in January 1983, he did 12 months of military service. In 1991, he was awarded a postdoctoral degree, followed by the title of professor in 1996. - the title of professor and in 1999 - the position of full professor. In 1988, Prof. Andrzej Tretyn was a 6-month research fellow at Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands, followed by a three-month fellowship at the Dutch Research Council (NWO). From February 1990 to November 1991, as a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, he conducted research at the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen, Germany. As part of the same fellowship in 2000, he worked as a researcher for three months at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne. Prof. Andrzej Tretyn was also a grant holder of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) at the Plant Science Center, The Institute for Physical and Chemical Science (RIKEN) in Yokohama, Japan. Previously - from April 1993 to August 1994. - as part of the Frontier Research Program, he worked as a researcher at the RIKEN in Tokyo. In 2004, he spent three months at the Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, South Korea. He was twice a laureate of the French-Polish Polonium programme in collaboration with the University of Toulouse in France.
Prof. Andrzej Tretyn has been the head, principal or executive project leader in 11 projects funded by the Committee for Scientific Research (KBN) and the National Science Centre. He and his colleagues participated in the 5th Framework Programme, together with scientists from Germany, Belgium and Czechia. In 1998-2000, he was a contractor and coordinator in the EU Tempus Phare programme, in which, in addition to the NCU, the universities of Padua (Italy), Freiburg (Germany) and Cambridge (UK) participated.
Prof. Andrzej Tretyn is the author or co-author of 386 publications (omega.umk.pl), of which 144 and 134 have been recorded in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, respectively. According to these sources, his works have been cited 2540 and 2780 times respectively (excluding self-citation), and his Hirsch index is 24. According to the Google Scholar database, Prof. Andrzej Tretyn's works have been cited 4853 times, and his Hirsch index is 32. The total impact factor (IF) of all publications is 221.
At the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Prof. Andrzej Tretyn went through all stages of his professional career: from assistant to head of the department, from director of the Institute of General Biology through dean of the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences (two terms), vice-rector for science and international cooperation (two terms) to rector of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (two terms: 2012-2020). In 2016-2020 he served as vice-president of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP).
Prof. Andrzej Tretyn has promoted more than 200 bachelor's and master's degrees. Under his scientific supervision, 19 people obtained their doctoral degrees.
He has been interested in rock music for 50 years and has a passion for far-flung travel and world cuisines.
Prof. dr hab. Wojciech Wysota was born on 12 March 1959 in Szadłowice. In 1978-1982, he studied geography at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. He graduated with honours. In 1982 he was employed as an assistant at the Institute of Geography, at the NCU Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences. In 1992 he obtained a doctoral degree in Earth Sciences, and his doctoral thesis was awarded the prestigious diploma of the Association of Polish Geomorphologists. In 2003, he obtained a postdoctoral degree in Quaternary geology at the Polish Geological Institute in Warsaw, and in 2012. The President of the Republic of Poland awarded him the title of Professor of Earth Sciences. Since 2013, he has been working as a professor in the Department of Geology and Hydrogeology at the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management. Professor Wojciech Wysota is a recognised specialist in glacial geology and geomorphology and Quaternary geology and palaeogeography. He has been conducting research on genesis of glacial landscapes, history and chronology of Pleistocene glaciations and dynamics of the last Scandinavian ice sheet in Poland.
He has authored and co-authored over 290 publications, including 38 original articles in leading scientific journals. His articles are cited in prestigious international journals (according to Web of Science: 404 citations, Hirsch index 11; according to Scopus database: 639 citations, Hirsch index 14).
He has implemented several research projects of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the National Science Centre and participated in several international projects. He led the large application project "Internet Atlas of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship" (2014-2015) and the research team of the emerging field of the Excellence Initiative – Research University (IDUB) programme "Global Environmental Change" (2020-2023). He has participated in a number of contracts and implementation works, expert opinions, opinions and environmental reports for the needs of the economy, enterprises and local government units.
He has had numerous research stays and internships in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, England, Ireland, Switzerland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Russia and China. He has research collaborations with universities abroad, including in Aarhus, Copenhagen, Sheffield, Berlin, Lund, Riga, Tartu and Vilnius. He is a member of several scientific societies. He was an elected member of the Quaternary Research Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2012-2015) and vice-president of the Peribaltic Working Group (INQUA) (2012-2016).
Professor Wojciech Wysota gives lectures and seminars in geology, geomorphology and physical geography. He has promoted 35 masters and 4 doctors. His alumni were several times winners of the Polish Geographical Society competition for the best master's thesis in geography. He was repeatedly a reviewer in proceedings for the conferment of the title of professor and in doctoral and postdoctoral theses.
Professor Wojciech Wysota has held positions and functions at various organisational levels of the NCU and has led and coordinated the work of many committees and teams implementing tasks in key areas of the University's activities. In 1997-1999 he was deputy director of the Institute of Geography at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences. In 2008-2012, he held the position of Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, and in 2012-2016 - that of Dean of the Faculty of Earth Sciences.
He then served as the NCU's Vice-Rector for Cooperation with International and Economic Environment from 2016 to 2020. He is currently (since 2020) NCU's Vice-Rector for Science. He has been the coordinator of the Excellence Initiative – Research University programme since 2020 and has chaired the work of the strategic team implementing the NCU strategy since 2022. He has also chaired the work of the Rector's advisory team for crisis management in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's aggression against Ukraine. From 2019-2020, he was a member of the Strategy Board of the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) alliance, and since 2023 he has represented the NCU in the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN).
Professor Wojciech Wysota has repeatedly received awards and distinctions from the NCU Rector for his achievements in research and organisational work. For his educational activities, he was awarded the Medal of the Commission of National Education (2013). In 2020, he was awarded the Second Degree Prize of the Minister of Science and Higher Education for significant achievements in organisational activities. In 2021, he received the team award "GEOLOGY 2021" in the category "Achievement, fundamental discoveries" for unique research results in north-eastern Poland from the Minister of Climate and Environment.