Kazimierz Tomala was born on 1 January 1956 in Prusy near Warka. He graduated from the Horticultural Technical Secondary School in Sochaczew in 1975. He graduated from the SGGW Faculty of Horticulture (1980); he holds a doctoral degree in Agricultural Sciences (1987), postdoctoral degree in Horticulture in the field of Pomology (1996) and title of professor of Agricultural Sciences (2001). Since 1 April 1982, he has worked as a university teacher at the Faculty of Horticulture and Biotechnology, currently in the position of professor at the Department of Pomology and Economics of Horticulture.

He was a visiting researcher on numerous occasions, including in 1984 at the University of British Columbia and Research Station, Summerland, Canada (A.S. Decaban Foundation Fellow); in 1987–1989 at the Michigan State University, USA; in 1999 at Universidad de TALCA, Chile; and in 2001 at the Jilin University, China.

Since the beginning of his research work, he has dealt with the issues of fruit quality and storability, including causes of variability in mineral composition and storability of apples and pears, methods of determining cumulative ripeness, calcium enrichment, dwarfing of apple growth, application of gibberellins, pre-harvest and post-harvest blocking of ethylene receptors and storage under CA and ULO conditions, recently also under dynamic controlled atmosphere. A body of his scientific and dissemination work is devoted to these topics, comprising 517 papers, including 79 creative works, 84 chapters in monographs, 106 communications, 5 books, 2 implementation manuals, 234 popular scientific works and 7 expert opinions. He has given over 160 lectures to field engineering and technical staff and fruit growers-practitioners, as well as over 50 radio and TV interviews. The manager of six research projects obtained in competitions from the State Committee for Scientific Research, a package in a project financed from the Fifth Framework Programme of the European Union, 3 topics commissioned by foreign entities and 14 topics commissioned by representations of foreign entities.

He has participated in more than 50 national and international conferences, congresses and symposia, including in Belgium, China, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, USA and Italy, where he confronted his research results with others. He delivered five plenary papers at international symposia (as a keynote speaker) and nine introductory papers at national conferences and chaired sessions at international and national conferences seven times. He was invited to lecture in Chile (1999), China (2001), Russia (2009), the Czech Republic (three times; 2003, 2010 and 2017) and Ukraine (three times; 2000, 2014 and 2015).

He lectures on pomology, storability, fundamentals of horticultural production, horticultural commodity science, growth regulation and ripening, as well as a master’s seminar in pomology.

Under his guidance, 116 engineering theses and 154 master’s theses were written and 12 doctors successfully completed their doctoral procedures, including one from Yemen.

He repeatedly reviewed doctoral and postdoctoral dissertations and achievements in the procedures for the title of professor for research institutions. He prepared 56 reviews, including 9 reviews of doctoral dissertations, 29 reviews or opinions in the procedures for the postdoctoral degree, 16 in procedures for the title or employment in the position of professor, 1 in the procedure for the title of an honorary doctorate, 1 for the rights to take doctorate, 45 research projects and 62 scientific articles.

His other important posts at SGGW include a student research group tutor (1991–1994), Deputy Dean for Student Affairs at the Faculty of Horticulture (1994–1999), Dean of the Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture (1999–2005), Head of the Department of Pomology (1997–1999 and 2006–2016), a member (1996–1999) and Chair (2002–2005) of the Senate Committee on Teaching and Education, a member of the Senate Committee on Finance (2005–2008), a member of the Senate Committee on the Development of the Research and Teaching Staff (2008–2012), a member of the Rector’s Tenders Committee (2005–2016), a member of the Council of the Interdepartmental Commodity Science School (2006–2012), a disciplinary procedure representative for academic staff (2012–2016) and Vice-Rector for Teaching (2016–2020).

Important functions outside SGGW include a member of the Horticulture Working Group; a member of the Ministry of Education Agricultural Sciences Expert Team (1996–1998); a supporting member of the Society for Promotion of Dwarf Fruit Orchards (1996–); a member of the Horticulture Section of the State Committee for Scientific Research (P06C, 1997–2000); a member of the Polish Society for Horticultural Science (1990–); a member of the Editorial Board of Folia Horticulturae (2001–); a member of the Editorial Board of Acta Agrobotanica (2002–); a member of the Botanical Society (2002–); Chair of the Scientific Council of the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture (now the Institute of Horticulture) in Skierniewice (2003–); Vice-Chair of the Polish Academy of Sciences Committee of Oriental Studies (2003–2006) and a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences Committee of Oriental Studies (2007–2015); a member of the Warsaw Scientific Society (2004–); a scientific consultant of the SAD practical pomology monthly (2006–); a member of the Poznań University of Life Sciences Horticulture Section Scientific Council of the Nauka Przyroda Technologie scientific journal (2007–); and a member of Section 3, Biological, Agricultural, Forestry and Veterinary Sciences of the Central Committee on Degrees and Titles (2013–2016).

He co-organised 4 international scientific conferences, 23 editions of the Open Day at the Experimental Orchard in Wilanów (since 1997) and 16 editions of the FruitPro International Fair of Fruit Farming Agricultural Engineering (since 2005). He organised and fitted a specialist Fruit Physiology and Storability Laboratory with modern research apparatus.

For his research, teaching and organisational achievements, he received numerous SGGW Rector Awards and was decorated with the Badge of Honour of Merit for SGGW, the Golden Cross of Merit, the Badge of Honour of Merit for Agriculture and the Medal of the National Education Commission.
Hobbies: growing orchids, mushroom picking, musical films and travelling.