On 23rd April, a ceremony marking the renewal of Prof. Jacek Lipkowski’s doctoral degree – an eminent chemist of international renown – took place in the Senate Hall of the Casimir Palace.
The decision to renew the doctorate is a recognition of Prof. Jacek Lipkowski’s outstanding scientific achievements and his many years of service to the University. On 19th June 2024, the Faculty Council of the UW’s Faculty of Chemistry decided to renew the doctoral degree of Prof. Jacek Lipkowski, and on 24th September 2025, the UW’s Senate concluded to make this ceremony a university-wide event.
Prof. Jacek Lipkowski is renowned for his achievements at an international level. He is one of the most frequently cited Polish chemists. He enjoys an excellent reputation as a researcher, as a teacher and as a person. What is particularly important to us is that, whilst working abroad, he is an ambassador for Polish science who has not forgotten his Alma Mater – said Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, the UW Rector, during the ceremony in the Senate Hall.
The laudatory address was delivered by Prof. Zbigniew Galus, which holds symbolic significance, as Prof. Galus was also the supervisor of Prof. Lipkowski’s doctoral thesis, which was defended in 1974. Prof. Galus emphasised the importance of Prof. Lipkowski’s academic work and his contribution to the advancement of science and the University of Warsaw. The ceremony also featured speeches by the Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, Prof. Sławomir Sęk, and the honouree himself – Prof. Jacek Lipkowski.
The reviewers of Prof. Lipkowski’s academic achievements were Prof. Maria Nowakowska (Jagiellonian University) and Prof. Władysław Wieczorek (Warsaw University of Technology).
An eminent chemist
Prof. Lipkowski graduated from the UW’s Faculty of Chemistry in 1967, obtained his doctoral degree in 1974, and his habilitation in 1979. In 2003, he was awarded the title of professor. Since 1983, he has held the position of professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph in Canada. Prof. Jacek Lipkowski has been a member of the Canadian Academy of Sciences since 2004, a foreign member of Division III of the Polish Academy of Sciences since 2020, and a member of the Polish Chemical Society since 2017. For his contribution to the education of Polish electrochemists, he received the University of Warsaw Medal, as well as the Medal of the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Warsaw.
“Prof. Lipkowski has made a significant contribution to the development of the international academic community. His pioneering research, his courage in tackling new research challenges, and his ability to combine a range of synergistic techniques enabling an understanding of the phenomena under study have played a significant role in the development of electrochemistry and the physicochemistry of surface phenomena, and have also opened up new research horizons for future generations of researchers,” wrote Prof. Maria Nowakowska in her review.
“Prof. Jacek Lipkowski is the co-author of 282 scientific publications, with a total of 10,167 citations (Hirsch index – 57). He has organised 15 scientific conferences and symposia. He has been and remains a member of the editorial boards of journals such as the Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry and Langmuir. He is a member of a number of scientific societies, including IUPAC, ISE, the American Electrochemical Society and the Canadian International Society of Electrochemistry,” adds Prof. Władysław Wieczorek in his review.
