Minister for Climate and Environment Paulina Hennig-Kloska has made changes to the management of the Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute.

The Institute's new director is prof. dr. hab. Krzysztof Szamałek, specialist in economic geology, deposit geology and environmental management.

Krzysztof Szamałek is a graduate of the Faculty of Geology at the University of Warsaw and the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw. In 1978, as a student, he was awarded the Special Prize of the European Academy of Sciences. The Jan Samsonowicz Prize for Academic Achievement, awarded by the Scientific Secretary of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

He obtained his doctoral degree in 1985 at his alma mater and his habilitation degree in 2003 in a proceeding conducted at the Stanisław Staszic AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. In 2012, by decision of the President of the Republic of Poland, he was awarded the title of professor.

He is also an associate professor at the University of Warsaw and a researcher at the Faculty of Geology, where he has been head of the Department of Composite and Economic Geology since 2020.

From 1994 to 1997, 2001 to 2002 and 2003 to 2005, he served as Secretary and Undersecretary of State, Chief National Geologist in the Ministry responsible for the environment.

He was also director of a department (1997-2001) in the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland responsible for energy and raw materials security and crisis management. He held management positions at Mostostal Warszawa and the Ecofund Foundation. He was deputy director for scientific affairs and scientific secretary at the Institute of Ceramics and Building Materials.

Professor Krzysztof Szamałek was a member of the Supervisory Boards of the following companies: KGHM Polska Miedź, Geofizyka Kraków, Petrobaltic, KGHM Metale and Nafta Polska. He chaired the Geological Council to the Minister of the Environment and the Supervisory Board of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. Since 2011, he has been a member of the expert base development team of the National Centre for Research and Development.

He was a member of the Water Management Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Mining Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences and a member of the editorial boards of journals from the so-called Philadelphia list and the list of the Minister of Science and Higher Education.

He is currently vice-chairman of the Committee for Sustainable Development of Mineral Resources Management of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

He is the author of some 300 scientific publications on economic geology, geological and mining law and deposit geology.

Prof. dr hab. Krzysztof Szamałek started heading the National Geological Institute - NRI from January 26, 2024.