Jerzy Duszyński (; born 6 March 1949) is a Polish

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

and professor of biological sciences. Since 2015 he has been President of the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences (, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of distinguished scholars a ...

. He is a former director of the

Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology The Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology is a Polish scientific research organization and a part of Polish Academy of Sciences headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. Founded in 1918, it is named after Polish biochemist and medic Marceli Nencki. It ...

of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2003–08), a former Polish deputy minister of science (2008–09), and a former Dean of Division II—Biological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2011–14). He has held the academic title of Full Professor since 1993, has been a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences since 2007, and a member of

Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of humanities, letters, law, and sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europe ...

since 2007.

Education and career

Jerzy Duszyński earned his undergraduate degree in biology from the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences at the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

. He earned his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

(PhD) in biology in 1975, followed by his higher doctorate (DSc) in 1983, both at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the

. He received the title of Full Professor (Poland's highest academic rank) from the President of Poland in 1993. He specialises in various issues related to biochemistry, including bioenergetics, the role of mitochondria in

cell physiology Cell physiology is the biological study of the activities that take place in a cell to keep it alive. The term ''physiology'' refers to normal functions in a living organism. Animal cells, plant cells and microorganism cells show similarities in ...

mitochondrial A mitochondrion () is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used ...

and

neurodegenerative disease A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Neuronal damage may also ultimately result in their death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, mul ...

s. He heads the Laboratory of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He has held research fellowships in the United States (3.5 years, including at

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

and at

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

) and in France (1 year, including in Grenoble). The course of his scientific career has been closely linked to the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, where he held the posts of Secretary of the Scientific Council (1990–92), Chairman of the Scientific Council (1996-2001), Deputy Director for Research Affairs (2002–03), and Director (2003-08). Additionally, within the Polish Academy of Sciences, he has served as the Dean of Division II—Biological and Agricultural Sciences and a member of the PAS Presidium (for the 2011-2014 term). On 19 March 2015 he was elected President of the Polish Academy of Sciences for the 2015–2018 term. In October 2018, he was reelected for a second term (2019–2022).

Research activity

Duszyński has published more than a dozen articles in top-level research journals. He is a member of Academia Europaea, a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a member of the board of Trustees of the

Institute for Research in Biomedicine The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)Presentation section at IRB Barcelona ...

in Barcelona, and a board member of the Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum in Japan. Some of his research achievements include: * The first experimental demonstration of

substrate channeling Metabolite channeling is the passing of the intermediary metabolic product of one enzyme directly to another enzyme or active site without its release into solution. When several consecutive enzymes of a metabolic pathway channel substrates between ...

and distinct intracellular microcompartments in the living cell, features which produce abnormal diffusion of

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

s within the cell as well as influence transport across the

plasma membrane The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extr ...

. * The first quantification of the controlling weight of

adenine nucleotide Adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT), also known as the ADP/ATP translocase (ANT), ADP/ATP carrier protein (AAC) or mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier, exchanges free ATP with free ADP across the inner mitochondrial membrane. ANT is the most abun ...

transport in cellular bioenergetics. * Quantification of the energy capacities of major elements of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system. * Discovery of the pH sensitivity of calcium entry into mammalian cells (the calcium concentration within the cell serves as a regulating factor; when elevated, it usually activates many

cellular process The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all life, forms of life. Every cell consists of cytoplasm enclosed within a Cell membrane, membrane; many cells contain organelles, each with a specific function. The term comes from the ...

es). * The discovery that

PML protein Promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) (also known as MYL, RNF71, PP8675 or TRIM19) is the protein product of the ''PML'' gene. PML protein is a tumor suppressor protein required for the assembly of a number of nuclear structures, called PML-nucle ...

regulates the interaction of mitochondria and the

endoplasmic reticulum The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a part of a transportation system of the eukaryote, eukaryotic cell, and has many other important functions such as protein folding. The word endoplasmic means "within the cytoplasm", and reticulum is Latin for ...

and influences the intracellular

calcium metabolism Calcium metabolism is the movement and regulation of calcium ions (Ca2+) ''in'' (via the gut) and ''out'' (via the gut and kidneys) of the body, and ''between'' body compartments: the blood plasma, the extracellular and intracellular fluids, an ...

. * The description of a method for isolating subcellular preparations that reflect the interaction between

organelle In cell biology, an organelle is a specialized subunit, usually within a cell (biology), cell, that has a specific function. The name ''organelle'' comes from the idea that these structures are parts of cells, as Organ (anatomy), organs are to th ...

s and the plasma membrane.

Non-scientific activity

During the years 1980-1985, Jerzy Duszyńsi was the chairman of the "Solidarity" trade union at the Institute of Experimental Biology. He has served as chairman of the City Council in the town of

Podkowa Leśna Podkowa Leśna (literal meaning – "Forest Horseshoe", in full: ''Miasto-ogród Podkowa Leśna'' – "Garden-City Podkowa Leśna") is a town in Grodzisk Mazowiecki County, Masovian Voivodeship of Poland and located within the territory of the M� ...

(1989–93) and one of the founders of the Science Festival School Foundation. From 2008 to 2009, he held the post of deputy minister responsible for science at the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Awards and distinctions

Duszynski has been decorated with a Knight's Cross of the Polonia Restituta Order.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duszynski, Jerzy Presidents of the Polish Academy of Sciences Members of the Polish Academy of Sciences Polish biochemists Warsaw University of Technology alumni 1950 births Living people Foreign members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences