Polish Chemical Society
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The Young Chemists’ Section of the Polish Chemical Society (SMPTChem) is a nationwide section of the Polish Chemical Society (PTChem) bringing together students, doctoral candidates and early-career researchers involved in chemistry and related sciences. It is the largest
and oldest organisation of its kind in Poland, with origins dating back to the late 1970s. Its main aims include:
One of the most important areas of SMPTChem’s activity is the organisation of recurring scientific conferences.
Since 1994, the Section has organised Spring Meetings, which developed from the earlier Spring Seminars, and since 1998 it has also organised Winter Meetings. The scope of these events covers both general chemistry and interdisciplinary areas at the interface of chemistry, biology, medicine, chemical technology, physics, materials engineering and nanotechnology. The meetings provide a space for presenting research results in the form of oral communications and posters, as well as for exchanging experience, discussing career paths and building relationships between young researchers from different academic centres.
Invited lectures delivered by representatives of academia, the chemical industry, research institutions and organisations connected with science and education form an important part of the conferences organised by the Section. As a result, SMPTChem meetings serve not only
a scientific purpose, but also an integrative and community-building one: they facilitate networking, inspire collaboration between academic centres and support young chemists at the early stages of their scientific development.
Over the years, SMPTChem has cooperated with numerous companies from the chemical, instrumentation, pharmaceutical and publishing sectors. Among the partners and publishers associated with the Section’s activities have been Oficyna Edukacyjna Krzysztof Pazdro, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, MedPharm and Elsevier. Since 2009, SMPTChem has also been associated with the European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN), the young division of the European Chemical Society (EuChemS), whose mission is to support the development of young chemists, promote chemistry, scientific mobility and international networking.
The origins of the Young Chemists’ Section of PTChem date back to 1977, when it was established during the 20th General Congress of the Polish Chemical Society in Szczecin. The founder and long-standing mentor of the young chemists’ community was Professor Janina Janik. During martial law in Poland, the Young Chemists’ Section functioned as a student discussion forum. In December 1983, on the initiative
of Professor Janina Janik and Professor Jerzy Janik, the Student Section of PTChem was established, continuing the ideas of integration
and activation of the young chemical community.
The first Chair of the Student Section of PTChem was Marzenna Dudzińska from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin.
In subsequent years, this role was held, among others, by Paweł Zagrodzki, Agnieszka Markowska, Iwona Kiersztyn and Robert Zdanowski, followed by other representatives of the young chemical community from various academic centres across Poland. As the Section developed, the nature of its events also changed: from meetings and seminars organised mainly in Warsaw, at the PTChem headquarters at 16 Freta Street,
to nationwide meetings held in different cities and academic centres.
A symbolic moment in the history of the Section was the organisation of the Spring Meetings outside the PTChem headquarters - the first such meeting was held on the Hel Peninsula on 11-12 May 1998. Around the same time, the tradition of Winter Meetings also began to develop. Initially, they were held in Warsaw, first at the PTChem headquarters and later at Warsaw University of Technology. Since 2013, Winter Meetings have been organised at universities across Poland. Today, the Spring and Winter Meetings of SMPTChem remain among
the most important recurring events integrating the young chemical community in Poland.
In recent years, the Section’s events have continued to confirm its nationwide character. The Spring Meeting in Poronin in 2024 brought together participants from 17 academic centres, while the 2025 Meeting in Bąków gathered representatives of as many as 22 centres.
The most recent Spring Meeting of the Young Chemists’ Section of PTChem, held in Pułtusk in 2026, brought together representatives
of 18 academic centres and included 9 scientific sessions.
At the same time, it was the 58th Scientific Meeting of the Section, counted from the beginning of its activity. This shows that SMPTChem remains an active platform for meetings, collaboration and the development of young chemists - a place where scientific activity is combined with building relationships, exchanging experience and genuinely strengthening the community of young Polish chemistry.
