Education

The discipline of forestry science includes two lines of research: forestry and wood science. Forestry is aimed at identifying processes and phenomena that occur within the forest, as well as understanding the role and importance of the forest in maintaining sustainable human existence. Forests are natural wealth, and forestry is the guarantor of their sustainability and renewability. Both research areas, forestry and wood science, share many elements with other disciplines, hence the exceptionally broad spectrum of studies, and especially Ph.D. theses, resulting from the research activities of both the Institute of Forestry Sciences and the Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture.

The Institute of Forestry Sciences is engaged in analysing key issues for forestry and socio-economic development regarding the exploitation and protection of forest resources while ensuring their multifunctionality. It is a thriving facility conducting research in the field of farming, management, utilisation and protection of forest, dendrometry and forest productivity, economics of forestry, forest botany, zoology and hunting, nature conservation and geomatics and spatial management. As research findings are applied to forestry practice, forests can simultaneously perform environmental, economic, and social functions.

The Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture conducts research focused on woody biomass with elements of natural sciences, including botany (especially dendrology), biotechnology, materials engineering, as well as, to certain extent, technical sciences, economics, and even marginally social sciences and fine arts. Here we discover new uses for wood and its derivatives, promoting this ecological and natural resource. Research results are often of practical importance and contribute to the implementation of innovative technologies in the industry and effective protection of tangible cultural goods containing wood, as well as the broadly defined environment in which the wood and furniture industry operates.

Institute of Forestry Sciences

Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture

The discipline of agriculture and horticulture is examined at Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) by two scientific and research units: Institute of Agriculture and Institute of Horticultural Sciences.

The Institute of Agriculture (IoA) consists of the Department of Agronomy, the Department of Biometry, the Department of Soil Science, and the Division of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry. The Prof. Marian Górski Experimental Station of the Institute of Agriculture in Skierniewice is the experimental facility.

The Institute of Agriculture has been conducting research in the areas of agricultural science, soil science, and environmental science for many years. The Institute staff conducts research in the form of field experimental works, field research, laboratory analysis, and analysis using remote sensing and computer methods. The research is conducted as part of national and international research projects, in cooperation with research centres, business entities, public bodies and government departments in Poland and abroad. Research results contribute to the advancement of knowledge, they are applied in business activities, and enable SGGW students to receive first-class education.

Research conducted at IoA focuses on the following topics, among others: (1) analysis of the relation between soil properties and the spatial diversity of fields, yield and quality of potato as well as crop yield estimation using remote sensing; (2) the effects of silicon foliar application on the crop yield quantity and quality of different agricultural plant species; (3) the effects of different tillage and plant cultivation systems on selected chemical and physical soil properties and plant yield; (4) floristic diversity of meadow communities, methods of diversity preservation and restoration; (5) the use of telemetric methods in the assessment of habitat preferences of Polish Konik horses grazing in protected areas; (6) use of mixed models for incomplete agronomic data and analysis of multivariate agricultural data; (7) use of statistical methods (including geostatistics) and geographic information systems (GIS) in data analysis in environmental studies; (8) development of soil-forming processes and variability of soil properties in natural, semi-natural and anthropogenic environments; (9) anthropogenic contamination of soils by various substances (trace elements, salinity, others) and its effects on micro-biochemical processes and functioning of plant communities; (10) metabolism of soil carbon compounds and its effects on soil properties and climate; (11) interactions in the soil-plant system.

The Institute of Horticultural Sciences (IoHS) includes the Department of Environmental Protection and Dendrology, the Independent Department of Ornamental Plants, the Department of Vegetable and Medicinal Plants, the Department of Plant Protection which includes the Division of Applied Entomology, the Division of Phytopathology and the Division of Natural Horticulture, and the Department of Orcharding and Horticultural Economics established by combining the Division of Orcharding and the Laboratory of Organisation and Economics of Horticulture. The IoHS’s experimental facility consists of the Greenhouse Experimental Centre, the Experimental Field in Wilanów-Zawady and the Blueberry Experimental Field in Błonie near Prażmów.

Research conducted at IoHS focuses on determining the effects of biotic and abiotic factors (including stress) on the development, yield and quality of selected fruit, vegetable, herb and ornamental plants. It is also concerned with evaluating the effects of post-harvest processing and storage conditions of horticultural raw materials on their sowing value. The development of sustainable and environmentally friendly methods of crop production, using natural techniques to control diseases, pests and weeds, is given special attention by researchers. Moreover, they study the use of energy-efficient crop production technologies, including the use of LED lamps in greenhouses, or the use of plants in environmental restoration (phytoremediation). At IoHS, more general research is also conducted on environmental protection, both in urbanised and rural areas, including the preservation of historic parks as well as rare wild crop plants.

The above research is carried out using modern research methods and its results can be used in horticultural and agricultural practice as well as in food and phytopharmaceutical industries.

Institute of Agriculture

Institute of Horticultural Sciences

Food and nutrition technology is a discipline in the field of agricultural, forestry and veterinary sciences that deals with methods of food production, processing, preservation and storage, as well as with issues specific to the interdisciplinary field of human nutrition. Therefore, within that discipline research is conducted, among other things, in the field of innovative technologies for the production of safe food using modern and traditional methods of food processing, taking into account the nutritional and environmental conditions, aimed at minimising the amount of by-products and waste, reducing energy and water consumption, and especially conducive to environmental protection. Their goal is to obtain convenient food with high nutritional value and composition which meets the needs of the body, based on the latest findings on human nutrition physiology. Another object of research is to improve the effectiveness of dietary recommendations and health education aimed at raising awareness of the principles of proper nutrition and successful diet therapy in diet-related disorders, as well as to effectively eliminate health problems of modern society, resulting from the poor awareness of the relationship between food, nutrition and health. A specific challenge faced by this discipline is to conduct research, the results of which will improve the competitiveness of Polish food in terms of health properties and high nutritional value, sustainable development and the establishment of new quality standards of food production by promoting and strengthening cooperation between agricultural producers, processors, food marketers, research organisations and consumers as well as educational institutions and mass media.

Institute of Food Sciences

Institute Human Nutrition Sciences

The subject matter of the research in zootechnics and fishery includes various issues related to: improvement of breeding and productive value of animals, breeding and rearing of farm, laboratory, wild and companion animals and their use, feed science, nutrition, reproduction, welfare, zoohygiene, impact of animal production on the environment, protection of biodiversity, economics of animal production and quality of animal products. Current research within the discipline focuses on the evaluation of the effects of wind farms on the physiological stress of the European roe deer Capreolus capreolus; active protection programme for the European bison; diagnostics of parasitic diseases and health problems in ornamental shrimps; use of various nanoparticles as an innovative method to improve health and production performance of broiler chickens; the contribution of effective microorganisms (EM) to the improvement of production indicators and microbiological parameters of feed tables in commercial farming of the small grey snail Helix aspersa; the influence of dietary supplements on gonad development and sex determination in sturgeon fish; development of methods of obtaining, producing and introducing new/innovative mineral and organic substances having the desired effect on the metabolism of animals; research on bee reproduction and the quality of bee products as well as the application of transcriptomics, epigenomics and proteomics in the analysis of expression of genes and proteins determining the antioxidant potential of colostrum, milk and meat.

Institute of Animal Sciences

Within the discipline of veterinary medicine at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, research is conducted that contributes significantly to the advancement of science, both on the national and international level. The best academic staff, modern infrastructure and research equipment enable the continuous and fast development of the discipline.

Basic research concerns mammalian and avian morphology with elements of clinical anatomy, cytogenetics, embryology, and ultrastructure of organogenesis, biological basis of animal growth and development and maintenance of animal health, stem cell biology, immuno-oncology, and applications of nanotechnology in biomedical research. In the area of pre-clinical sciences, research focuses on pathomechanisms of infectious and invasive diseases, including infectious agent-host relationships, mechanisms of pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance of selected bacteria, mechanisms of virus-cell interactions. Another area of the research is the use of alternative methods to assess the effects of xenobiotics and feedstuffs on animal health.

In the units dealing with public health, research is carried out on microbiological hazards in food of animal origin, including alternative methods of food preservation, predictive microbiology and the genomic basis of milk production regulation, the incidence of tuberculosis and parasitic diseases in free-living and farm animals, taking into account interspecies transmission and zoonotic potential.

In the field of pathology and diagnostics of selected infectious and non-infectious animal diseases, the research primarily concerns detection, molecular biology and control of swine viruses, diagnostics and monitoring of canine and feline heart diseases, diagnostics of metabolic disorders in cattle, pathophysiology and pathomorphology of neoplastic diseases and diagnostics of functional disorders during effort in animals, prevalence and course of diseases of wild and farm pollinators, as well as diagnostics, pathology and prevention of selected diseases of birds, exotic animals and fish.

Research in the area of clinical sciences includes diagnostics and improvement of conservative and surgical methods of disease treatment in small animals, including epidemiology and diagnostics of infectious myocarditis and endocarditis, improvement of surgical methods of treatment, development of modern methods of diagnostics and treatment of pathological conditions of the reproductive system in small animals, and nanooncological experimental studies in selected canine and feline cancers. Scientific research carried out in the units dealing with diseases of large animals focuses on modern solutions in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the reproductive system and the mammary gland, livestock and equine diseases, including the evaluation of equine exercise, improved methods of treatment of orthopedic diseases and other diseases requiring surgical treatment, and new methods of monitoring during general anesthesia.

Epidemiology of infectious and parasitic diseases in farm, companion and non-domestic animals in Poland is also an important research field within the veterinary medicine discipline.

Institute of Veterinary Medicine

The discipline of biological science is fundamental to human development under changing climatic and economic conditions and to identifying and eliminating threats to that development. Research in the Institute of Biology, including scientific areas covered by students in the Doctoral School, is consistent with key research objectives and strategies necessary for learning about the world around us and solving existing biological problems. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the units within the Institute of Biology, the candidate for the Doctoral School may select areas of interest from among many available topics and conduct research on animal and cancer cell lines, plant material as well as microorganisms.

The units of the Institute of Biology conduct research in the biological sciences on the following topics:

• Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology: Studies the effects of abiotic and biotic stress on the metabolism and functioning of land plants and microorganisms. The studies include metagenomic analyses of microbial communities in the rhizosphere. The Department conducts a wide range of molecular and bioinformatics analyses.
• Department of Botany: the unit specialises in highly advanced basic research on: plant interactions with pathogens (e.g. plant viruses and nematodes), with symbiotic microorganisms, and the effects of trace metals on the development and adaptation of naturally growing populations. Analyses of interactions between plants and pathogenic organisms are multilevel and use advanced molecular and microscopic methods.
• Department of Plant Physiology: the unit specialises in the analysis of broadly defined physiological parameters and factors regulating plant physiology under different conditions with particular emphasis on seed biology. A key component of the research is the physiological and biochemical aspect of plant responses to various environmental factors from drought to allelopathic or phytotoxic compounds. Studies include biochemical and molecular analyses.
• Department of Physics and Biophysics: the unit conducts basic and applied research of interdisciplinary nature in the field of: a) electrophysiology, b) ion transport, c) microfluidics, d) biosensors, e) molecular biophysics. The aim of the research is to design biosensors for automatic measurement of properties of cells, biological membranes and physiologically active molecules. Additionally, the studies focus on measuring ion transport across monolayers of epithelial cells, or membranes of intracellular organelles such as mitochondria.
• Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology: The unit conducts advanced molecular research on gene characteristics and variation in crop plants to enable biological advancement that is needed under changing climatic and economic conditions. In addition, research is conducted on the effects of abiotic stress and the effects of different types of light on model plants to better understand plant plasticity and the complexity of their responses to stress factors.
• Department of Nanobiotechnology: research concerns the application of nanostructures (both noble metals and allotropes of carbon) and innovative bioactive substances as nanobiomolecules of anticancer, regenerative and nutritional nature. Experiments related to the ecotoxicological aspects of nanobiotechnology are also performed.

Institute of Biology

The main research areas studied by the Institute of Information Technology employees include: artificial intelligence, machine learning, classical and deep neural networks, computer vision and graphics, digital image processing (e.g. medical and microorganism images, and handwriting recognition), video surveillance, optimisation, evolutionary algorithms, parallel and multithreaded simulations and computing, including cloud computing, numerical methods (interpolation, optimisation, modelling of physical processes, finite difference method), advanced algorithms in computer games, applications of artificial intelligence in biomedicine and biology, modelling of biological and economic processes, diagnostics of analogue systems, statistical analysis in ecological, horticultural and economic sciences, study of periodic motion stability and stability of mechanical systems, analysis of algorithms for symbolic computing and their evolution, artificial intelligence using quantum computing, security in cyberspace, mathematical modelling of optoelectronic devices, development of specialised software for modelling laser resonators, experimental and theoretical studies in the field of acoustics, statistical analysis of medical data, analysis of memory consumption in information systems, simulation studies of queuing systems with non-identical servers, analysis of systems with server failures, application of computer algebra systems to computations in classical and non-classical queueing theory, information retrieval in music and sound analysis, computational linguistics, analysis and modelling of Petri nets, applied mathematics in computer science, engineering, medicine, biology, economics, mechanics and physics, and selected issues of theoretical mathematics (e.g. algebraic problems, cryptology or statistical research).

Institute of Information Technology

The discipline of civil engineering, geodesy and transport, which belongs to the field of engineering sciences, was created by Act 2.0 from the merger of three former disciplines: construction, geodesy, and transport. For the purposes of scientific research conducted within this discipline, the Institute of Civil Engineering of SGGW was established on 1 October 2019, within which the Council of Discipline of the Institute of Civil Engineering, Geodesy and Transport was formed – a body with the powers to grant doctoral and postdoctoral degrees, delegated by the Senate of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

The Institute of Civil Engineering of SGGW employs staff from various industries related to construction and engineering, including: constructors, architects, surveyors, hydrotechnicians, geotechnicians, mechanics, and specialists in transport infrastructure construction and organisation of construction processes, who combine technical and environmental aspects in their research. Choosing an academic career related to the discipline of Civil Engineering, Geodesy and Transport offers numerous research and implementation opportunities, which have been divided into four areas studied:

• research on effective material and structural solutions in the aspect of sustainable development; the use of computer techniques in the process of designing and monitoring of civil structures;

• improving and developing techniques for natural and anthropogenic soils survey under complex loading conditions; designing foundations and stabilising soft soils for construction and transportation engineering;
• research on application of innovative material and technological solutions in the construction process; develops models of management and assessment of construction projects efficiency; researches polymer materials;
• research in the areas of sustainability and the closed loop economy; remediation, reclamation, and revitalization of degraded land and landfills; architectural design of passive buildings and environmentally friendly structures.

The Institute closely cooperates with the economic environment in the field of construction and engineering and with national and foreign research centres. Students and doctoral students participate in various academic exchange programmes with many Polish and European universities.

Institute of Civil Engineering

The main research area of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering at SGGW is the development of modern techniques and technologies in agricultural and forestry production and renewable energy technologies as well as the modelling of systems and processes of engineering and production management.

A broad and interdisciplinary study programme covering the research areas of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering at SGGW enables doctoral students to develop their own ideas and concepts, and directs them towards creative problem solving and commercialisation of the obtained results.

The major research areas addressed by the study programme of the Doctoral School in Mechanical Engineering include: optimisation of energy consumption and operation of working elements of machines and equipment, using mathematical modelling; technical and operational tests of working machines, also to increase comfort and safety at work; analysis of exhaust gases from internal combustion engines of motor vehicles powered by various types of fuels; analysis of the relation between physical and chemical properties of biomass and parameters of machines and equipment and the quality of products obtained; design, modelling and optimisation of cooling devices and energy systems based on renewable energy sources generating and accumulating heat, cold and electricity; design, modelling and optimisation of sorting devices and automatic control systems; development of precision technologies in agriculture and food processing; modelling and optimisation of drying and rehydration processes of agricultural products; improvement of processing techniques of plant raw materials.

Graduates of the doctoral school will have advanced, specialised knowledge and skills in mechanical engineering, as well as professional qualifications that will enable them to seek employment in specialised companies and laboratories engaged in broadly defined agri-food production, design studios, research and development institutions.

Institute of Mechanical Engineering

Continues population growth, urbanisation, global warming, industrial and agricultural development are placing increasing demands on existing and planned construction, agricultural and industrial infrastructure. Environmental engineering seeks ways to meet these demands, striving to preserve the environment’s ability to self-regenerate and self-clean. In case of its destruction, caused by overexploitation or disaster, environmental engineering develops measures to restore the environmental balance. The scope of research in environmental engineering includes such issues as environmental monitoring and protection, land reclamation, water supply, heating, air conditioning, gas, refrigeration, power engineering, as well as the development of processes and infrastructure for wastewater treatment, waste disposal, and control of all types of pollution. Used in environmental engineering, process analysis draws extensively on such sciences as chemistry, ecology, geology, hydraulics, hydrology, meteorology, microbiology, economics, mathematics, and statistics. Today, environmental engineering is a discipline in the field of engineering and technical sciences.

Institute of Environmental Engineering

The discipline of economics and finance belongs to the field of social sciences. The research unit at SGGW directly related to this discipline is the Institute of Economics and Finance. The Institute primarily conducts research at the macro-, meso- and micro-level on economic, financial, social and environmental issues related to processes occurring in the agri-food economy and in rural areas, as well as in their close and distant surroundings. Within the discipline of economics and finance quantitative and qualitative research is conducted in such areas as: operation and effectiveness of agribusiness entities; policies and strategies for development of agriculture and rural areas; sustainable development and bioeconomy; functioning of agri-food markets, international flows of production factors and foreign trade; consumption and consumer behaviour; economic aspects of tourism development; financial markets; corporate finance and public finance; supply chains in agribusiness and agrologistics.

Institute Economics and Finance

The discipline of management and quality science was established in 2018, pursuant the “Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 20 September, on the fields of science and scientific disciplines and artistic disciplines”. It combined two main disciplines that had functioned separately for many years, i.e. management science and science of commodities, understood as quality science. For this reason, as a relatively young scientific discipline, it is subject to continuous evolution, which directly delineate both the status of its theory and achievements in the practical sphere. The scientific (organisational) unit at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences directly related to management and quality sciences is the Institute of Management. Its mission is to serve the intellectual development of Polish society and the international community. Its objective is to carry out highest quality scientific research contributing to the development of the discipline of management and quality sciences. The basis of the Institute’s identity and success are values such as: openness to change, attention to quality, professionalism and innovation.
The employees of the Institute of Management have had significant achievements, among others, in such areas of research as: (1) organisational culture, (2) corporate social responsibility, (3) sustainable development, (4) process approach, (5) knowledge management, (6) trust management, and (7) marketing management. The indicated areas are merely examples of the entire spectrum of scientific research of the employees of the Institute of Management. The conducted research is both quantitative and qualitative, and the best statistical programs are used to analyse their results.

Management Institute

Sociological science is a discipline from the field of social sciences which has been developing its own identity since the first half of the 19th century. The collapse of the feudal system at that time necessitated an entirely new social organisation that would be based not on theology, as in feudalism, but on science. And it was sociology, a an emerging discipline, that played a leading role in constructing the social organisation with industrial society and capitalism as its foundations. In the simplest terms, sociology is a discipline concerned with interactions between individuals and their effects, that is, it studies, analyses, and interprets the socio-cultural reality of human beings.

Sociology includes several sub-disciplines, most notably sociological theories, sociological research methodology, the sociology of culture, social change and development, or the sociology of education, the city, social problems, or the family. Thus, sociology as a science studies every aspect of the lives of individuals and social groups which boils down to two fundamental levels of social analysis, namely micro-sociology and macro-sociology.

The academic (organisational) unit at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences directly related to sociology is the Institute of Sociological Sciences and Pedagogy which includes Department of Sociology. Sociologists employed at SGGW conduct quantitative and qualitative research using the best statistical software to analyse results, and have considerable achievements in such areas of research as politics, culture, social communication, social problems, local and regional communities, global processes, religious life, the world of medicine, relations and intimate relationships, among others. The above areas do not exhaust the entire range of academic and research interests of the Department of Sociology at SGGW, where theoretical sociology is also an important line of research.

The wide and varied research fields of our sociologists guarantee that every student of sociology who wishes to pursue and develop his or her sociological interests will be provided with guidance by our competent sociologists of the Department of Sociology at SGGW, as well as an opportunity to participate in an expert discussion within the framework of his or her sociological interests.

Institute of Sociological Sciences and Pedagogy

Pedagogy is a social science with a humanistic profile, covering both the theory and practice of care and educational activities of children and youth, and educational activities of adults of different ages. Its upbringing and educational impact helps individuals achieve optimal development of their personality, shape their knowledge about reality and creatively participate in social, cultural, economic and political life. Scientific research carried out within the framework of pedagogy is used to describe and explain upbringing and educational processes (empirical orientation), analyse phenomena and changes occurring in social and educational reality through the prism of values that give them meaning (e.g. hermeneutic orientation) or to determine the effectiveness of actions taken (praxeological orientation). Its current scientific discourses enrich academic narratives with new theories, cultural contexts and research perspectives, revealing that the world of human affairs is neither fully measurable nor free from subjectivism or metaphysics. The uniqueness of this scientific discipline results from its ability to integrate the most outstanding achievements of contemporary humanities and other sciences. Pedagogy, combining psychology, philosophy, sociology, history with political, economic, anthropological, medical or technical knowledge, answers questions about the meaning of life, conditions for development, the possibility of supporting an individual in their efforts to find their place in a dynamically changing world and achieving their full potential in life.

Institute of Sociological Sciences and Pedagogy