The idea of integrating researchers interested in ecology originated in the 1960s. It was initiated by prof. dr hab. Władysław Grodziński and dr hab. Adam Łomnicki, who gathered interested natural scientists—mainly from Kraków’s universities—at the so-called Kraków ecological seminars. A decade of ecological seminar tradition and two years of positive experiences from implementing the Environmetal Biology specialization formed the foundation for establishing the Institute of Environmental Biology (by order no. 2 of the Rector of Jagiellonian University on January 6, 1977).

Name, Structure, Locations

The newly established Institute was composed of three existing units: Department of Animal Ecology, Department of Hydrobiology, and Department of Zoopsychology and Animal Ethology, separated from the Institute of Zoology, along with a new Department of Ecological Modeling. Initially, the Institute operated in spaces within Collegium Zoologicum and Collegium Geologicum.
In 1984, the Department of Ecosystem Ecology branched off from the Department of Animal Ecology, followed by the Department of Game Research in 1989. In 1998, the Institute expanded to include the Department of Mammal Reproduction, transferred from the Institute of Zoology.
In 1999, the unit was reorganized and renamed the Institute of Environmental Sciences (INoŚ). During this time, new departments—Department of Ecotoxicology, Department of Environmental Monitoring, and Department of Ecological Microbiology—were established. In late 1999, a small building on the 600th Anniversary Campus of the Jagiellonian University at 3 Gronostajowa Street was opened. By 2000, part of the Institute had relocated to this building, called the Natural Research Center. The Department of Behavioral Ecology was established in 2002.
Since 2004, the Institute has been housed at 7 Gronostajowa Street. In 2007, the Institute’s structure transitioned from departments to less formal research teams, with 15 teams operating in 2024.

Leadership

The first director of the Institute of Environmental Biology was prof. dr hab. Władysław Grodziński (1977–1981), with dr Ryszard Sowa as his deputy. In 1981, doc. dr hab. Adam Łomnicki became director, with dr hab. Bogusław Bobek as deputy. From 1988, prof. dr hab. Ryszard Sowa assumed the role, later succeeded by prof. dr hab. Andrzej Górecki after prof. Sowa’s untimely death in 1990. Prof. Górecki served until 2002, with prof. dr hab. Jan Kozłowski as deputy. In September 2002, prof. Kozłowski became director, with prof. dr hab. Ryszard Laskowski as deputy.
In 2005, dr hab. Mariusz Cichoń joined as a second deputy. Between 2008 and 2012, the Institute was led by dr hab. Małgorzata Kruczek, with dr hab. Maria Niklińska as deputy for student affairs. Prof. Niklińska became director in 2012, with dr hab. Janusz Fyda, prof. UJ, and later dr hab. Wojciech Fiałkowski as deputies. In 2020, prof. dr hab. Wiesław Babik joined as deputy for research.
Since April 2022, dr hab. Izabela Wierzbowska, prof. UJ, has been the director, with prof. dr hab. Joanna Rutkowska as deputy for didactics and prof. dr hab. Wiesław Babik as the Dean’s representative for research.

Education

Since its inception, the Institute has contributed to the Biology program, playing a significant role in its reform in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the Institute, alongside the Faculty of Chemistry, offered the Environmental Protection program. Between 2001 and 2013, it co-ran a two-tier Biology-Geography program with the Institute of Geography and Spatial Economy.
Currently, the Institute offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in Biology in Polish, as well as two English-taught master’s programs—Ecology and Evolution and Environmental Protection and Management—and a doctoral program, PhD Programme in Biology.

Major Achievements

In 2002, the Institute became a European Union Center of Excellence through the project “Implementing basic and applied research in environmental sciences for the benefit of local communities.” This project facilitated numerous international collaborations and enhanced research infrastructure.
From 2010 to 2017, the Institute hosted two major doctoral projects: Ecology, funded by EU structural funds, and Environmental stress, population viability, and adaptations, funded by the Polish Science Foundation. These projects attracted 26 PhD students, including many international participants, and significantly increased the interdisciplinary nature of the Institute’s research.
In 2016, prof. dr hab. Jan Kozłowski received the Polish Science Foundation Award for his theory on the diversity of life strategies as an outcome of optimal resource allocation.
Since 2022, the Institute has been conducting an ERC Advanced Grant project, Uncovering the mechanisms of action of an antiviral bacterium, led by dr Ewa Chrostek, investigating bacteria that protect insects from viruses.