The History of the Faculty

The roots of Faculty of Physics and Astronomy reach Tadeusz Kotarbiński Pedagogical University. The Institute of Physics was created in November 1st, 1998 and Institute of Astronomy in 2000 - both were included in the structure of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Technics. In 2001, when University of Zielona Góra emerged from Tadeusz Kotarbiński Pedagogical University and Polytechnic University of Zielona Góra, the Institutes became part of the Faculty of Exact Sciences. Besides Institute of Physics (supplemented with Department of Mathematical Physics, former part of the Institute of Mathematics of the Polytechnic University of Zielona Góra) and Institute of Astronomy, the Faculty of Exact Sciences included the Institute of Mathematics, created from corresponding Institutes from the both joined Universities.

In 2002, the authorities of Institute of Physics submitted an application to the Central Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles (in abbreviated form CC) for the power to award a doctoral degree. At the very moment there started discussions on the Faculty about its division into two separate units, i.e. the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Econometrics and Faculty of Physics and Astronomy. As a result, the Rector of University of Zielona Góra, prof. dr hab. Michał Kisielewicz, appointed a representative dr hab. Krzysztof Urbanowski for creation of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy. His proposal was accepted by the University Senate and, supplemented with the CC acceptance giving the right to confer a doctoral degree, submitted to the Minister of Education. Two new Faculties of University of Zielona Góra were established by the decision of the minister in February 16th, 2004. The election of the Dean of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy took place in March 2004 and dr hab. Krzysztof Urbanowski was elected as the first Dean of the Faculty (until August 31st, 2005), whereas dr hab. Anatol Nowicki was appointed as the Vice Dean. At the moment of creation the following fields of studies were conducted: Physics, Astronomy (Master’s degree study) and Technical Physics (Bachelor’s degree study). In March 2004, there were 229 students (138 on the Physics course, 52 on the Technical Physics course and 39 on the Astronomy course) educated on the Faculty.

Already in March 2004, dr Jarosław Kijak, as the first member of the Faculty, was conferred a habilitation degree in the discipline of physics/astrophysics, and one month later the Faculty was successfully granted the accreditation of concerning education quality on the course of Physics. In the Autumn 2004 the procedures for submitting application to the CC for the power to award a doctoral degree in the discipline of astronomy were started, which was granted in May 2005. In such way, according to „the law of higher education”, valid at that time, the Faculty met the requirements for the doctoral degree studies.
For the period 2005 to 2008 dr hab. Anatol Nowicki was elected as the Dean of the Faculty and dr hab. Stanisław Kasperczuk was appointed as the Vice Dean. In this term of office the Faculty was evaluated by the Comprehensive Evaluation of Scientific Units (so called, categorization) for the first time, and as one of the two faculties of UZ, was classified to the first category. As a curiosity, showing scientific strength of the Faculty, it is worth noting that the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy of University of Zielona Góra took the 19th place, just after the Faculty of Physics of University of Warsaw on the list of classified research units in the „physics, astronomy” group.

For the period 2008 to 2012 prof. dr hab. Piotr Rozmej was elected as the Dean of the Faculty and prof. dr hab. Giorgi Melikidze was appointed as the Vice Dean. During this term of office, the decision to transfer the power to confer a doctoral degree in the discipline of physics from the Institute of Physics to the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy were made in 2010. In the same year the next categorization took place and the Faculty was classified to the second category taking the 22nd place in the „physics, astronomy” group. In the Spring of 2012 the Faculty prepared application to the CC for the power to confer a habilitation degree in the domain of physical sciences and discipline of astronomy.

For the period 2012 to 2016 prof. dr hab. Giorgi Melikidze was elected as the Dean of the Faculty and prof. dr hab. Andrzej Drzewiński was appointed as the Vice Dean. In the October 2012 the first foreigner (Sneha Honnappa from India) was conferred a doctoral degree (in astronomy) by the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy. In the next few years seven other foreigners were conferred a doctoral degree by our Faculty, both in physics and astronomy. Moreover, the collaboration with other Universities in Europe and Asia was greatly intensified, which resulted in arrival of a few dozens of students in the framework of Erasmus program.

When in the end of 2012, by the decision of the CC, the Faculty was granted the first power to confer a habilitation degree, it was just the fifth of such powers at the University of Zielona Góra. During the next categorization in 2013 the Faculty was classified in the scientific category A and took the 8th place in the group of 26 research units, homogeneous in the question of research domain (physics and astronomy). It is worth to add that according to the criterion of scientific and creative achievements the Faculty took the 4th place. In 2015 the Faculty began to work on the application to the CC for the power to confer a habilitation degree in the domain of physical sciences and discipline of astronomy, which was granted in March 2016 (12 years after the creation of the Faculty).

For the period 2016 to 2020 prof. dr hab. Andrzej Drzewiński was elected as the Dean of the Faculty and dr hab. Jarosław Kijak was appointed as the Vice Dean.