We are pleased to announce that by resolution no. 57/XI/2021 dated November 10, 2021 The Scientific Council of the Polish Geological Institute - NRI conferred on Anna Mader, Ph.D., of the Świętokrzyskie Branch in Kielce, the academic degree of Doctor of Science in the field of Natural Sciences, in the discipline of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Anna Mader, Ph.D., was destined for geology from the day she was born. From an early age she participated in field work of her parents, Eugenia and Jerzy Fijałkowski, geologists who were active in the Świętokrzyskie region. When she was still a student she took part in scientific conventions of the Polish Geological Society and in field conferences organized by the Świętokrzyskie Branch of the Polish Geological Society. In 1986 she received her master's degree from the Institute of Geological Sciences, of the Jagiellonian University and started work at the Świętokrzyskie Branch of the Geological Institute in Kielce, where she still works today.

A page from the family album: Anna Mader with her father on Mount Rzepka, 1965 (photo by Jerzy Fijałkowski)

She worked on problems related to palynostratigraphy of Permian and Triassic sediments in the Holy Cross Mountains. Her doctoral dissertation on palynostratigraphy of the Upper Permian and Lower Triassic sandstone sediments, in the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains, was the conclusion of this stage of research and was defended with distinction in 1991. In 1992, by the resolution of the Scientific Council of PGI, she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Natural Sciences.

Apart from palynology and palynostratigraphy of the Devonian, Permian, Triassic and Lower Jurassic sediments in Poland, the scope of Anna Mader's research was broadened to include climatic and environmental problems of the Permian and Triassic periods and issues connected with protection and promotion of geodiversity in the Świętokrzyskie region, as well as geoeducation and geotourism. The studies resulted in an elaboration of palynological stratigraphy of the Lower Devonian, Permian and Triassic sediments in the Holy Cross Mountains, Upper Permian and Triassic in the Nizen Basin, Upper Permian and Lower Triassic in the North Sudetic Basin, and on the Foredeep monocline and Upper Triassic in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. The results of her research were presented in 160 publications and 46 archival studies of which she was either the author or co-author.

She participated in the international research program "Peri-Tethis". She was awarded research fellowships at the Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology at the Utrecht University and the Institute of Geology of Göttingen University. She was a participant and co-organizer of many national and international geological conferences and symposia. She received a scientific fellowship from the Foundation for the Development of Polish Science and the PGI-NRI Director's Award for the best article in Geological Quarterly for 2015.

She is the president of the Świętokrzyskie Branch of the Polish Geological Society.

Anna Mader during a field trip organized as part of an international conference on Paleozoic microflora, CIMP 2010, at the Chęciny castle (photo: M. Stempień-Sałek)

We warmly congratulate Anna Mader, Ph.D., and wish her further scientific success!

Translated by: Tomasz Trzpil