We are proud to announce that a publication by our colleague, Stefano Giunti, has been recognized among the most-read articles published in 2024 in Sedimentology — one of the world’s leading journals in the field of sedimentology.
This distinction is especially meaningful as the article represents the first publication related to Dr. Giunti’s doctoral research and has already attracted considerable attention from the international scientific community.
This achievement highlights the importance of the research being conducted and demonstrates the vital role that early-career scientists and international collaboration play in advancing modern science.
We warmly congratulate Dr. Giunti on this success and wish him many more inspiring scientific achievements in the future!
As part of the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences (ING PAN), held on 12 May 2026 at the headquarters of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences in Kraków, the special guest of the event was Prof. Carsten Münker from the University of Cologne — a world-renowned expert in isotope geochemistry and the evolution of the Earth and the Solar System.
Prof. Münker delivered a lecture entitled “From the early solar system to Earth’s interior: new clues from new isotope tools” within the “GeoPlanet” seminar series. The presentation focused on the latest research concerning the formation of the Earth, the origin of the Moon, and the evolution of Earth’s interior, investigated using state-of-the-art isotope analytical methods. We invite readers to explore the presentation materials.
In his lecture, Prof. Münker presented a modern perspective on the earliest stages of Solar System history and the processes that led to the formation of the proto-Earth and its first magma reservoirs. Particular attention was devoted to short-lived isotope systems, such as the 182Hf–182W system, which make it possible to reconstruct events occurring within the first tens of millions of years after the birth of the Solar System.
The presented research results addressed, among others:
The lecture demonstrated how enormous advances in analytical techniques now allow scientists to investigate processes that occurred more than 4.5 billion years ago with unprecedented precision. Particular interest was drawn to results suggesting that the Earth–Moon system and the first proto-crust of the Earth may have formed within the first 60 million years of Solar System history.
Prof. Carsten Münker is Professor of Geochemistry and Petrology at the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln), Germany. He leads a modern isotope analysis laboratory specializing in radiogenic and stable isotope research applied to planetary geochemistry, cosmochemistry, and studies of Earth’s interior evolution.
His scientific achievements include pioneering studies on the origin of the material forming the Earth and terrestrial planets, the differentiation processes of Earth’s interior, the history of the Earth’s mantle, and the chronology of the Moon’s formation. He is the author of numerous publications in leading scientific journals such as Nature, Nature Geoscience, Science, and PNAS, and his work ranks among the most highly cited research in isotope geochemistry and planetary sciences.
On 12 May 2026, the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences was held in the halls of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences in Kraków. The event brought together numerous representatives of the world of science, public institutions, universities, units of the Polish Academy of Sciences, scientific societies, and partners who have cooperated with the Institute for many years.
The anniversary was an opportunity to summarize seven decades of activity of the Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, to recall its most important research achievements, and to honor people who have made a particularly significant contribution to the development of the Institute and geological sciences.
The ceremony was opened by the Director of the Institute, Prof. Stanisław Mazur, PhD, DSc, who welcomed the gathered guests and emphasized the importance of the Institute as a major center for research into the history of the Earth, its structure, geological processes, and resources. The event was attended by distinguished guests representing national and international scientific communities, academic institutions, public administration, and organizations connected with Earth sciences.
The presence of such a broad group of participants was an expression of recognition for the Institute’s achievements and its role in Polish and international geology. An important item on the program was the ceremonial presentation of decorations and awards. The anniversary thus became not only an opportunity to celebrate the history of the Institute, but also to express gratitude to those who, through their scientific, organizational, and administrative work, have contributed to its development over the years.
The scientific part of the ceremony was enriched by a lecture delivered by Prof. Carsten Münker from the University of Cologne, a world-renowned researcher in the field of isotope geochemistry. In his lecture entitled From the early solar system to Earth’s interior: new clues from new isotope tools, Prof. Münker presented the latest possibilities for using isotope tools in research on the early history of the Solar System and the Earth’s interior.
A special place in the program was also given to a lecture by Prof. Jan Środoń entitled A Short History of the Institute of Geological Sciences, PAS, which recalled the beginnings of the Institute, its ties with the Kraków scientific community, and the contribution of successive generations of researchers to the development of Polish geological sciences. Prof. Środoń’s lecture was a symbolic return to the roots and an important element of the anniversary reflection on the Institute’s identity.
The ceremony was accompanied by a musical setting performed by Dr Małgorzata Podstawka-Skała.
The meeting concluded with a joint lunch, which provided an opportunity for conversations, memories, and thanks to the people and institutions supporting the activities of the Institute of Geological Sciences, PAS.
The Institute of Geological Sciences, PAS, extends its heartfelt thanks to all Guests who honored us with their presence and celebrated with us the 70th anniversary of the Institute’s activity. We are especially grateful to representatives of scientific, academic, and public institutions, partners cooperating with the Institute, representatives of scientific societies, and all those who have supported the development of Polish geological sciences for many years.
We express our gratitude to the Institute’s employees, retired employees, doctoral students, and collaborators. It is your commitment, scientific, organizational, administrative, and technical work that has shaped the history of the Institute of Geological Sciences, PAS, over seven decades and allows us to look to the future with hope.
We offer sincere congratulations to all those decorated and honored during the ceremony. The decorations and awards granted are an expression of recognition for your achievements, many years of work, dedication to the Institute, and contribution to the development of geological sciences.
We thank everyone who contributed to the preparation and smooth running of the anniversary celebration — those involved in the organization, the event partners, and supporting institutions. Thanks to your kindness and assistance, the ceremony could take place in an atmosphere that was solemn, cordial, and worthy of the anniversary.
The 70th anniversary of the Institute of Geological Sciences, PAS, was for our community not only an occasion for memories and summaries, but also a celebration of the community of people connected with the Institute and Earth sciences.
We sincerely thank you all for your presence, congratulations, kindness, and for celebrating this exceptional day with us.
Presentation by prof. Jan Środoń:
Congratulatory addresses:
Letter from the President of the… |
Since the launch of the NAWA PROM project (2025–2026), the Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences (IGS PAS) has been actively implementing a wide range of international activities combining scientific mobility, training, workshops, and field-based research.
Types of Activities
The programme includes:
Geographical Scope
Activities carried out so far demonstrate the global reach of the programme: Asia – Philippines, China, India; Europe – Germany,
Sweden, France, Romania; Oceania – New Zealand
These mobilities contribute to building strong and lasting international research collaborations.
Workshops Organized at IGS PAS
IGS PAS is also actively organizing international training activities, including:
with additional workshops planned in the coming months.
Impact
The activities carried out so far have contributed to:
Detailed reports from mobilities are available here: https://www.ing.pan.pl/nawa-prom/relacje-z-mobilnosci
PROM – krótkookresowa wymiana akademicka – nabór 2025;
Projekt finansowany przez Narodową Agencję Wymiany Akademickiej ze środków programu
Fundusze Europejskie dla Rozwoju Społecznego 2021–2027 (FERS);
wysokość dofinansowania: 995 250 PLN; www.mapadotacji.gov.pl
We are pleased to announce that a professor of our Institute, Assoc. Prof. Piotr Krzywiec, together with Prof. Xiumian Hu from Nanjing, has assumed for another five-year term (2026–2030) the leadership of the International Lithosphere Program Task Force 6 “Sedimentary Basins”. The International Lithosphere Program (http://ilp.nju.edu.cn) was established in 1980 by the International Council of Scientific Unions (currently the International Science Council, https://council.science/) under UNESCO, following the recommendation of two organizations active in the Earth sciences: the International Union of Geological Sciences (https://www.iugs.org/) and the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (https://iugg.org/). Researchers involved in broadly defined studies of sedimentary basins and interested in collaboration within this Task Force are invited to make contact (piotr.krzywiec@twarda.pan.pl).
Presentation on the International Lithosphere Program Task Force 6 “Sedimentary Basins” during the International Sedimentological Congress in Wellington, New Zealand (25–30 January 2026).
