Paweł Mariusz Rowiński

Paweł Mariusz Rowiński (born 26 February 1965 in Warsaw) is a Polish hydrologist, hydrodynamicist, and geophysicist. He is a full professor at the Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, a full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and served as Vice-President of the Polish Academy of Sciences from 2015 to 2018 and from 2019 to 2022. Since 2024, he has served as President of All European Academies (ALLEA). He served as Director of the Institute of Geophysics PAS from 2008 to 2015 and was reappointed to this position in 2023.

He specialises in environmental hydrodynamics, river hydraulics, hydrology, and mathematical modelling of processes occurring in aquatic environments. His research focuses on turbulent transport of mass and energy in rivers, pollutant mixing processes, river physics, and applications of statistical methods and artificial intelligence in Earth sciences. He also conducts research on climate change, water security, and sustainable management of water resources.

Education and professional activity

In 1988, he graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics of the University of Warsaw

In 1991–1992 , and in 2024 he became its President. Since 2022, he has served as Chair of the European Division of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR Europe). He chairs the team responsible for preparing the assumptions for a draft amendment to the Act on the Polish Academy of Sciences and previously also chaired the team responsible for developing regulations governing the election of PAS members. He is also Chair of the PAS Scholarship Committee and the advisory team to the President of PAS responsible for the allocation of the Academy's budget.

He was the initiator of the establishment of the Office of Scientific Excellence at the Polish Academy of Sciences, which supports Polish researchers applying for grants from the European Research Council (ERC). He is also the initiator and coordinator of the PASIFIC fellowship programme (2019–2024), funded by the European Commission under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND programme, with a total budget of nearly PLN 50 million. The programme aims to promote innovative research ideas at PAS institutes.

Among Prof. Rowiński's initiatives was also the establishment, and currently coordination, of the work of the Advisory Team to the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences on the Climate Crisis. The team regularly prepares and disseminates statements concerning various aspects of the impact of climate change on the social and economic life of Poland.

He has served on the scientific councils of numerous research institutes, including the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (since 2004), the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2011–2014, 2015–2018), the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2015–2018), and the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2015–2018). Prof. Rowiński is also actively involved in the work of several committees of the Polish Academy of Sciences, including the Council for the Popularisation of Science of PAS (since 2008), the PAS Committee on Water-Related Hazards (2011–2014), the PAS Committee on Water Management (2011–2014, since 2020), and the PAS Committee of Geophysics (since 2007).

Major scientific achievements

His scientific work includes research in the fields of environmental hydrodynamics, river hydraulics, hydrology, environmental geophysics, and modelling of processes occurring in aquatic environments. His research is interdisciplinary in nature and combines theoretical studies, mathematical modelling, laboratory experiments, and field measurements conducted under natural conditions (in rivers).

He conducts research on river metabolism and gas exchange between water and the atmosphere, analysing the influence of hydrological processes on the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. He also studies water quality, heat and pollutant transport, and the assessment of climate change impacts on aquatic environments.

A significant part of his scientific achievements consists of research on river sediment transport, erosion and sedimentation processes, and the impact of vegetation on water flow. Studies on the movement of individual grains in turbulent flow, initiated already in his doctoral dissertation, and the improvement of Lagrangian models describing the movement of solid particles in river flows have significantly enhanced the ability to describe sediment transport processes. These studies have found applications in environmental hydraulics, water management, and river protection.

An important area of his scientific activity is the development of methods for modelling environmental processes using statistical methods and artificial intelligence tools, including neural networks and optimisation algorithms. These studies focus primarily on modelling hydrological processes, analysis of environmental data, and forecasting extreme phenomena.

In recent years, his research interests have also focused on water security, resilience to the impacts of climate change, and nature-based solutions.

He is the author or co-author of approximately 200 scientific publications, and the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of 17 international monographs and edited volumes, as well as five special issues of international scientific journals. under which 40 volumes have been published. He is also a member of the editorial boards of international scientific journals in the fields of hydrology, hydraulics, and environmental sciences, including SpringerBriefs in Earth Sciences, Water, Publications of the Institute of Geophysics Series, Hydrological Sciences Journal, Archives of Hydro-Engineering and Environmental Mechanics, and Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology.

Science communication and outreach

He is actively involved in activities aimed at promoting science, gives lectures, and is frequently present in the media, commenting on issues related to the organisation of science, the climate crisis, and water-related challenges. He was appointed Honorary Chair of the Scientific Committee of the 2022 Science Picnic organised by the Copernicus Science Centre and Polish Radio. He participates in the jury of the "Krok w przyszłość" competition for the best student thesis in mathematics organised by the mBank Foundation.

He has delivered lectures in two educational programmes: the MBA programme in Energy and Climate Policy Management and the Competency Studies programme in Climate and Environment at the Paweł Adamowicz Civic Studies Centre. At the Centre for Eastern Studies, he contributed as a commentator to the report Drought in the Czech Republic. Political, Economic and Social Consequences and delivered a lecture on drought in Europe. He has been a member of the Science Dissemination Council of the Polish Academy of Sciences since 2011.

He has delivered numerous plenary lectures and invited talks at various scientific institutions, including lectures during the inauguration of the academic year at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) (2020), at the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography of the University of Gdańsk (2018), during the conference Climate Change, Health of the Planet and Future of Humanity (2018) at Casina Pio IV, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Vatican City, the 5th Workshop on River and Sedimentation Hydrodynamics and Morphodynamics in Porto, the International Symposium on Ecohydrology for the Circular Economy and Nature-Based Solutions towards mitigation/adaptation to Climate Change, as well as at University College London, the University of Padua, the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, and other institutions.

He frequently contributes to discussions on the future of education.

He served as Honorary Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Science Picnic organised by Polish Radio and the 2022 Science Picnic organised by the Copernicus Science Centre and Polish Radio. He was also a member of the jury of the "Krok w przyszłość" competition organised by the mBank Foundation. He has been a member of the Science Dissemination Council of the Polish Academy of Sciences since 2011.

He has supervised numerous diploma theses, including five doctoral dissertations. Radio programmes. Television programmes. Participation in the documentary film Co z tą wodą (What about this water?) broadcast on TVP1. Extensive press interviews, including: Przyroda jest skuteczniejsza (Nature is more effective), Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, 20 March 2021. Interview in Gazeta Wyborcza, Wolna Sobota magazine, 5 November 2021. Od Bałtyku po Mazury. W jakiej wodzie będziemy się kąpać tego lata? (From the Baltic Sea to Masuria. What kind of water will we swim in this summer?), Gazeta Wyborcza, 25 June 2021. Jeśli nic nie zrobimy, zrealizują się katastroficzne scenariusze (If we do nothing, catastrophic scenarios will come true), Interia, 12 August 2019. Polsce zagraża susza. Jak się chronić? (Poland is threatened by drought. How can we protect ourselves?), Polska Metropolia Warszawska, Polska The Times, 13 May 2022.

He has participated in radio programmes and television programmes devoted to hydrology, water management, climate change, and science policy.

Major awards and distinctions

He received the Prime Minister of Poland's Award for both his doctoral dissertation and habilitation thesis. He was a scholarship holder of the Foundation for Polish Science and the Stefan Batory Foundation. (he was only the second person from Poland to receive this distinction, after the Ombudsman, Prof. Adam Bodnar). In 2017, he was awarded the Medal of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, and in 2019 and 2026 he received the Medal of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW).

In 2022, he was elected a full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In 2023, he was elected President of the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) and awarded the Silver Cross of Merit.

Personal life

He is married to Agata Rowińska, with whom he has a daughter Paulina.

Selected publications

Articles

Books