INSTYTUT DENDROLOGII

General Information on the institution

The Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences is a scientific institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. According to the will of the last owner of the Kórnik estate - Władysław hr. Zamoyski (1853-1924) - in the Act of 30 July 1925 on Zakłady Kórnickie (Journal of Laws of 1925, No. 86, item 592), it was written that one of the Foundation's goals was to establish and maintain a scientific institution in which research on woody plants will be carried out. In 1933, the Tree and Forest Research Department was established in Kórnik. In 1951, it was transformed into the Department of Dendrology and Pomology in Kórnik, which on May 24, 1952, at the first ever meeting of the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences, was incorporated into the structures of the Polish Academy of Sciences. This created a stable basis for the development of the facility. In 1957, four independent employees were employed in the Department, 19 assistants and 11 technicians. In 1962, the name of the institution was changed to the Department of Dendrology and the Kórnik Arboretum of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In recognition of the scientific potential of the institution and its achievements, by Resolution No. 4/74 of the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences of May 7, 1974, the institution was elevated to the rank of an Institute, which from then on took the name of the Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences.

The Institute conducts scientific activity in the field of two scientific disciplines: biological sciences and forest sciences. It includes interdisciplinary research into the biology of woody plants at all levels of their organization. The high quality of research is guaranteed by a highly qualified team of researchers, engineers and administration employees, as well as professional infrastructure: specialized laboratories, a collection of woody plants in the Arboretum, a herbarium, a library, as well as a network of numerous research areas located throughout the country and in the Experimental Forest belonging to the Institute "Zwierzyniec" in Kórnik. The scientific staff of the Institute actively cooperates with other research centres from Poland and abroad. The results of research conducted at the Institute are published in the best scientific journals in the world, as well as in the form of books. The employees of the Institute attach great importance to the promotion of natural knowledge by publishing popular science works and giving lectures promoting scientific achievements, as well as to shaping social attitudes aimed at increasing respect for nature. The results of research conducted at the Institute are applicable in practice, they support forest management and nature conservation conducted on the basis of reliable and current knowledge.

Currently (February 2023) the Institute employs 111 people (with PhD students) 42 researchers, 32 engineers and technicians, 29 organizational and economic employees, administration and library staff. Doctoral students are educated at the Poznań Doctoral School of Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, which is run jointly by five Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences: Bioorganic Chemistry, Dendrology, Molecular Physics, Human Genetics and Plant Genetics. Currently at the Institute, 8 doctoral students prepare their doctoral theses as part of the Doctoral School and doctoral studies.

In studying at PDS IPAS, a doctoral student is obliged:

1. To carry out an individual research plan agreed with his or her supervisor;
2. To obtain at least 35 ECTS points by:
3. a) participating in obligatory classes, activities and seminars in the student’s discipline; the student should obtain at least 20 ECTS points in total, and in particularly justified cases referred to in § 7 section 4 and 23 of the Rules of the Poznań Doctoral School of the Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, at least 14 ECTS points in total.
4. b) participating in non-obligatory classes and activities run by PDS IPAS in selected scientific disciplines offered by PDS IPAS and, with the supervisor’s consent, also outside PDS IPAS; the student should obtain at least 8 ECTS points in total.
5. c) participating in classes and activities developing general competences; the student should obtain at least 5 ECTS points in total.
6. d) ) performing teaching and public information work; the student should obtain at least 2 ECTS points in total.

Programme of Study

A detailed study programme, including a list of lecture courses, workshops, tutorials, practical activities and other classes and activities conducted at the PDS IPAS Institutes in a given academic year, together with corresponding numbers of ECTS points, is published on the PDS IPAS website at least one month before the beginning of the academic year.

Courses offered in academic year 2023/2024:

Detailed study programme of PDS IPAS for academic year 2023/2024

Subject obligatory_2023/2024 

Seminar_2023/2024 

Language Courses

Since doctoral studies, seminars, all lectures, and scientific publications are conducted in English, both students and staff are required to have a high level of proficiency in the language. In order to continuously improve language skills, the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences (INP PAS) offers English language courses to doctoral candidates and staff. The course runs throughout the academic year, once a week (1.5 hours), at various proficiency levels, and is free of charge. All students and staff (academic and non-academic) wishing to participate in mobility programs can attend to enhance their language skills before departure and during their stay in Poland. The course is also open to international students. To pass the year, a minimum test score of 60% is required.