Prof. Dariusz Król, vice-dean for general affairs, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. The scientist was awarded, among other things, for „outstanding contributions to the political transformation of our country". Congratulations!

The Polonia Restituta is the second highest Polish state civilian decoration, following the Order of the White Eagle.

– Receiving this distinction is a great honour, recognition, and a pleasant surprise for me, as many deserve it, but only a few receive it. That was also the case for me – says Prof. Dariusz Król.

He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for „outstanding contributions to Poland's systemic transformation and achievements in professional and social work undertaken for the benefit of the country".

According to the professor, during the systemic changes in the 1980s, there were quite a lot of young people who wanted political, economic, and social transformations. They often exposed themselves and their loved ones to government reprisals. Prof. Król observes that those challenging times forced people to act beyond what they considered safe and possible.

– Even today, many of us persist and continue this effort, achieving excellent results in scientific, educational, and social work. I am deeply convinced that I have been honoured because, to a small extent, my activities and professional work contribute to these changes – adds the scientist.

The ceremony of awarding state decorations took place on 28 February 2025 at the Belweder Palace. On behalf of the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, the decoration was conferred by Minister Andrzej Dera.

About the professor

Professor Dariusz Król is the co-author of over 160 scientific publications. He deals with knowledge-engineering methods in industrial applications, with particular emphasis on knowledge propagation, data integration and quality, predictive analysis, and machine learning.

He was a speaker at renowned universities, including (Yeungnam University, Chung-Ang University), Germany (University of Erlangen-Nürnberg), Japan (Kyoto University), Great Britain (Queen Mary University of London, King's College London).

He has been a reviewer of six doctoral dissertations defended at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, Silesian University of Technology, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Lodz University of Technology, and Sorbonne University.

He has supervised over 100 graduates, nearly half of whom participated in R&D projects. This collaboration has resulted in 45 publications co-authored with the graduates. A master's thesis conducted under his supervision was awarded in the Double Diploma programme by the Blekinge Institute of Technology.

In 2020, he was elected vice-chair of the SMC-28 Branch of the Polish Section of IEEE. Since 2021, he has been the vice-dean for general affairs at the Faculty of Information and Communication WUST. For four years, he has chaired the programme committee for the field of Applied Computer Science. He was appointed as a member of the Polish Accreditation Committee for the years 2024-2028. Last year, he became a member of the Senate of Wrocław University of Science and Technology for a four-year term. Additionally, he was assigned the position of deputy chairman of the Senate Appeals Committee.

Receiver of many awards In 2004, he was awarded an FNP scholarship, in 2005 he received the prestigious IBM Eclipse Award, in 2009 a DAAD scholarship at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and in 2011 a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship at Bournemouth University.

He was an expert of the European Commission, the National Centre for Research and Development, the National Agency for Academic Exchange and several foreign scientific and scholarship programs, including in Spain, Serbia, Ireland and Cyprus.

He managed several teaching as well as research and development projects. His achievements include scientific and research works implemented in the national economy, closely linked to solving practical problems of knowledge engineering.