2nd Conferrence Emerging environmental contaminants – current status, challenges and perspectives - Rzeszów September 2026

Mark Maboeta is a Full Professor of Zoology at North-West University (South Africa) and an NRF B-rated scientist with over two decades of experience in environmental sciences and research leadership. His work focuses on soil ecotoxicology, particularly the effects of pollutants on soil ecosystems and their implications for environmental risk assessment, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable land management.
He leads one of the foremost soil ecotoxicology research groups in Africa and has published extensively in high-impact international journals. His research is widely recognised for bridging science, policy, and practice, advancing both academic research and real-world environmental solutions.
He has held several leadership roles, including Acting Director of the Centre for Water Sciences and Management, and has served on national and international bodies, including the NRF Specialist Committees and the FAO’s soil pollution initiatives. He is actively involved in global research networks and regularly contributes as a scientific chair and invited speaker at major international conferences.
His current work emphasises integrating research, innovation, and policy to address pressing environmental challenges in Africa and beyond.

Kiril Bahcevandziev is a full time Professor at an Agricultural School of Coimbra, Polytechnic of Coimbra, Portugal, managing different curricular units mainly related with Plant biotechnology and Horticulture. Currently, he is an integrated researcher at the Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, responsible for its Agriculture group of scientists. During the last 38 years, including full-time research, he has been involved in different scientific activities, producing various scientific publications in international referred journals. Makes and made part of different scientific boards in international congresses and conferences. He is invited professor at different universities in Republic of North Macedonia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Moldavia, Greece, Italy, Romania, Netherlands, Poland, teaching mainly in the fields related with his research work where he develops projects regarding seaweeds as biofertilizers and biostimulants in agriculture. Makes/made part of the research groups of various scientific projects related with sustainable water use and effective farming practices to protect water resources in Mediterranean rice-based agro-ecosystems (two PRIMA projects); valorisation of seaweeds and its application as organic agricultural/urban waste compost and use of organic biopreparations in plants against pathogens. He is/was member and collaborate with different national and international scientific societies, such as Portuguese Horticultural Association (APH), ISHS, EUCARPIA, Portuguese Association of Plant Physiology, ASHS and Biotechnology Information Center (CiB).

Cüneyt Nadir Solak is an academician at Dumlupınar University Biology Department in Türkiye. He is working on taxonomy and biogeography of the diatoms. He has been taken place national and international projects about distribution of the diatoms in extreme environments like highly acidic, highly alkaline and hypersaline conditions in different regions in the World. In this concern, he worked in Algeria (Sahara Desert) and Iran (Lut Desert) as hypersaline environments, highly alkaline lakes in Türkiye (Van and Salda Lakes) and Indonesia (Kawah Putih Lake), highly acidic environments in Türkiye (mining areas) and Portugal (Sao Domingo). He has been involved in various scientific publications in international referred journals. He has been invited or joined as visiting researcher to work in different diatom laboratories in US (Colorado Boulder University), Canada (Canadian Museum of Nature), Russia (Russian Academy of Science), Poland (W.Szafer Botanic Institute, Institute of Nature Conservation, Szczecin and Rzeszow Universities) and Hungary (Danube Research Center). Up to now, he described with his colleagues more than 50 diatom taxa from inland waters and marine environments in Türkiye, Indonesia, Russia, Algeria and Iran.

The preliminary conference program is tentative and subject to change

The conference is completely free of charge. However, the organizers do not cover the costs of accommodation and travel.
Only active participation in the conference is accepted – with an oral presentation or poster presentation. Passive participation in the conference is not possible.

During the conference, participants will have the opportunity to take part in additional workshops.
Detailed registration information will be available soon.

Advanced ICP-MS Spectrometry in Environmental Pollution Monitoring
The workshop focuses on the practical aspects of using ICP-MS spectrometry in environmental research. Participants will learn about the latest methods for determining trace elements in water, soil, sediments, and biological materials, with particular emphasis on interference control, sample preparation, and data interpretation. The sessions will also include a discussion of real-world research cases and best analytical practices. The workshop is aimed at analysts, researchers, and practitioners interested in enhancing their skills in working with ICP-MS technology.
Participant limit: 10 people

Hands-On Training in Environmental Toxicity Assessment
This workshop focuses on the practical aspects of environmental toxicity assessment using modern bioassays applied in the analysis of environmental samples. Participants will learn about the principles of operation and potential applications of selected systems used in ecotoxicological research and environmental safety assessment. During the sessions, methods for assessing the toxicity of liquid samples using the BioLight, Daphtoxkit, and Algaltoxkit systems will be presented, as well as methods for testing the toxicity of solid samples, including soils, using the Phytotoxkit and Ostracodtoxkit tests. The workshop will also cover topics related to the assessment of drinking water quality using the TOXmini and Rapidtoxkit systems. The training is intended for researchers, analysts, and individuals interested in the practical application of biological methods in environmental monitoring and risk assessment.
Participant limit: 12 people

Algae Isolation and Cultivation – Applications in Ecological and Taxonomic Research
The workshop focuses on the practical aspects of establishing and maintaining laboratory cultures of freshwater and marine algae. Participants will learn the basic steps involved in working with biological material—from collecting environmental samples, through their transport and storage, to the isolation of specific algae species. During the sessions, methods for preparing culture media and the equipment used in subsequent stages of laboratory research will be discussed. Special attention will be given to diatoms—one of the most challenging groups of algae in terms of laboratory culture. However, the procedures and best practices presented will also be applicable when working with other groups of algae. The final part of the workshop will cover the preparation of samples for microscopic analysis and the creation of permanent slides used in biological and environmental research. The training is aimed at students, researchers, and anyone interested in practical methods for working with algae in laboratory conditions.
Participant limit: 10 people.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Submission Deadline: May, 31 2026
Abstract Deadline: July, 15 2026 (Please send the abstract to the following address: eec2026@ur.edu.pl)

The trip on the third day of the conference is optional and depends on the number of participants.

Abstract template

Information about poster preparation requirements will be available soon.
We guarantee free poster printing for conference participants.

Conference building

Conference location:

How to get from Rzeszow Airport to the city by bus

How to get from Rzeszow Airport to the city by train

In Rzeszów, you can also use taxi apps such as Bolt, FreeNow, and Uber

Public transportation in Rzeszów

• Justyna Koc-Jurczyk, Ph.D., D.Sc., Associate professor - Head of the Organizing Committee
• Agnieszka Podolak, Ph.D., University of Rzeszów - Vice Head
• Łukasz Jurczyk, Ph.D., D.Sc., Associate professor, University of Rzeszów - Secretary
• Jadwiga Stanek-Tarkowska, PhD, D.Sc, Professor, University of Rzeszów
• Marta Jańczak-Pieniążek, Ph.D., D.Sc., Associate professor, University of Rzeszów
• Małgorzata Szostek, Ph.D., D.Sc., Associate professor, University of Rzeszów
• Dagmara Migut, Ph.D., University of Rzeszów
• Łukasz Peszek, Ph.D., University of Rzeszów
• Magdalena Podbielska, Ph.D., University of Rzeszów
• Mateusz Rybak, Ph.D., University of Rzeszów
• Karol Skrobacz, Ph.D., University of Rzeszów
• Bernadetta Alvarez, M.Sc., University of Rzeszów
• Marcin Pieniążek, M.Sc., University of Rzeszów

University of Rzeszow

Faculty of Technology and Life Sciences Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Environmental Protection and Management
Department of Soil Science, Environmental Chemistry and Hydrology Cwiklinskiej Str. 1a, 35-601 Rzeszów

eec2026@ur.edu.pl
[email protected]
[email protected]