About the author

I am a doctor of biology and I work at the Department of Polar Research and Documentation in the Institute of Botany of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. My scientific interests focus on lichenology - a field of science about lichens (lichenized fungi), lichenoindication - a field of science about use of lichens as indicators of environmental pollution, and ecology of the polar regions. I took part in an individual expedition to the region of Svalbard archipelago. The main goal of the expedition to this area of the Arctic zone was to collect data for my PhD thesis. During the summer season 2007-2008 I took also part in the Polish Antarctic Expedition to the Henryk Arctowski Station (South Shetlands, Maritime Antarctica).

My great interests are photography and travelling. In my artistic achievements I have, among others, photographs from my travels to Asian countries: Jordan, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Japan. In Poland my photographic fascinations are realized mainly by means of creating pictures, which show landscapes and wildlife. I am a member of the Union of Polish Wildlife Photographers. My favourite locations in Poland are mountainous regions of the country, especially the Bieszczady range (the Polish Eastern Carpathians).

Images from my photo trips

Education:
2003 - PhD in biology at the Institute of Botany of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow. Thesis: "Species of the genus Cladonia Hill ex Browne in the region of Spitsbergen (the Arctic) - chemotaxonomy and distribution"
1999-2003 - PhD studies at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow
1999 - MSc degree in biology at the Jagiellonian University, Krakow. Thesis: "Lichens as bioindicators of heavy metals pollution of environment in the region of Admiralty Bay (Antarctica)"
1994-1999 - studies at the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow
1993 - secondary-school final exam