Founded in 1364, the Jagiellonian University (UJ) in Krakow is one of oldest European universities and definitely the most prestigious one in Poland. Its academic staff is involved in all kinds of research, ranging from purely theoretical science to applied studies. According to the official rankings, based on the number of publications per scholar as well as the number of citations, the scientific achievements of the Jagiellonian University are ranked the best or the second best in the country every year. The university has a worldwide cooperation and considerable experience in working in large international research programmes. At present it is participating in 16 EU funded projects: 12 under the Fifth Framework Programme and 4 under the Leonardo da Vinci Programme.
The Institute of Environmental Sciences in a leading research and educational institution in its field – the European Community Center of Excellence since 2003.
Its scientific activities are focused on
1) Animal ecology,
2) Biodiversity studies - surveying distribution of various invertebrate and vertebrate species,
3) Ecotoxicology - examining consequences of toxic stress on individuals, populations and environmental processes,
4) Ecosystem studies – estimating nutrient and pollutant turnover and energy flow in forest, grassland and freshwater ecosystems,
5) Evolutionary ecology - life history evolution, evolutionary and population genetics, behavioural ecology,
6) Nature conservation and management - environmental planning, bio-monitoring and bio-indication, wildlife management, ecological education.
Currently, 21 research projects are running at the Institute, financed by the Polish State Committee for Scientific Research, the Welcome Trust, European Community and NATO. Several permanent staff members belong to the editorial boards of renowned international journals, including Journal of Evolutionary Ecology, Evolutionary Ecology Research, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Functional Ecology, Ecology Letters, Environmental Review, Applied Soil Ecology and Acta Theriologica. The Institute is well equipped in modern scientific equipment (e.g., GIS, AAS, AES, CHNOS, field and laboratory respirometers including high-precision MicroOxymax) and more regular laboratory gear.
The Institute of Zoology is one of the biggest institutes of the Jagiellonian University. It consists of 12 departments in such scientific activities as Anthropology, Comparative Anatomy, Evolutionary Immunology, Genetics and Evolution, Animal Physiology, Cytology, Entomology as well as Malacology. Major research fields are focused around developmental biology and biodiversity research. The number of research projects and their variety locate the Institute among the best research institutions in Poland. The scientists participate in many national and international research projects in the broad area of biological sciences. The collection of our Zoological Museum, particularly impressive for insects and mollusks, expands every year thanks to a number of scientific expeditions (Southern America, Siberia, Africa). The Institute is well equipped in modern scientific equipment, e.g., SEM, molecular methods, cytological and histological techniques, confocal microscope, etc.. A field station in The Carpathians is a great place for small group research and workshops.

RESEARCH TEAM: Michal Woyciechowski, Piotr Nowicki, Ryszard Laskowski, Stanislaw Knutelski, Paulina Kramarz, Maria NikliÅ„ska, Tomasz Skalski, Hajnalka Szentgyörgyi