Zbigniew Kundzewicz

Zbigniew Władysław Kundzewicz (born 4 December 1950 in Augustów, Poland) – is a Polish hydrologist and climatologist, a professor of Earth Sciences, He earned his doctorate (PhD) in 1979, followed by his higher doctorate (DSc) in 1985, both in the physical sciences with a specialization in geophysics and hydrology. Since 2010 he has been a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), and since 2017 a member of Academia Europaea. He has additionally been a research staff member at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (2001-2016), one of the world’s top climate change research centers.

Research

Kundzewicz’s research interests include hydrological extremes (especially floods), the climate and water (especially the impact of climate change on water resources), and the consequences of climate change on sectors and systems.

Awards and distinctions

Kundzewicz has received various decorations and awards for his research work. He obtained an honorary doctorate from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) in 2018 and also an honorary professorship from the Nanking University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST) in 2018. He has received the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (2020), the International Hydrological Prize (Dooge Medal) (2017), the Grand Golden Seal Award of the City of Poznań (2008), the Tison Award of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (1987) and the Award of the Secretary General of the Polish Academy of Sciences (1986). He contributed to the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which in 2007 earned a collective Nobel Peace Prize. In Poland, Prof. Kundzewicz has been decorated with a Knight’s Cross of the Polonia Restituta Order and a Golden Cross of Merit.

Publications

Kundzewicz, Z.W., Rosbjerg, D., Simonovic, S.P. & Takeuchi, K. (ed.), Extreme Hydrological Events: Precipitation, Floods and Droughts. IAHS Publ. No. 213, IAHS Press, Wallingford, U. K., pp. 459 + ix., 1993. Kundzewicz, Z.W. (ed.), New Uncertainty Concepts in Hydrology and Water Resources, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K., 322 pp., 1995.