Born: March 1962, Milanowek near Warsaw, Poland

Primary schools: (1969-1976): 8, 36, 72 and 30 in Poznan

Secondary school: (1976-1980): 9-th general education school, specialization: chemistry, biology and English

University education:

• Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (1980-1985), MS degree in molecular biology
• University of Technology in Poznan (1985-1990), MS degree in computer science (individual specialization: applications of computer science in human biology). Master's Thesis: Optimization of learning. A new approach and computer application

Doctoral degree:

• University of Economics in Wroclaw, 1995. Dissertation Thesis: Economics of learning. New aspects in designing modern computer aided self-instruction systems

Current research interests:

• molecular correlates of the two-component model of long-term memory
• modeling stability and retrievability of memories in the processes of learning and forgetting
• spaced repetition in memory consolidation
• knowledge representation in learning 
• incremental reading
• entrainment patterns in free running sleep conditions
• memory consolidation and optimization in sleep
• modeling homeostatic and circadian interaction in sleep

Spaced repetition:

• the author of repetition spacing algorithm commercially known as the SuperMemo method (1982-present)
• cofounder of SuperMemo World, July 1991
• President and Head of R&D at SuperMemo World (1991-1997)
• founder of SuperMemo Research, an independent R&D Dept at SuperMemo World (1997-present)
• author of the first implementations of SuperMemo (incl. SuperMemo 1.0 for DOS, 1987)
• currently focusing on the concept of incremental reading, which is an extension of spaced repetition into knowledge processing and management

Publications

• Since 1998 writing primarily for supermemo.com (largely not peer-reviewed)
• See also: Selected publications in reference to memory and learning (before 1998)

Hobbies

• incremental reading
• marathon
• winter swimming
• in-line skating
• black funk

Apology

I apologize for refusing invitations to conferences. I travel rarely and only to vacation destinations. Otherwise I am entirely stationary. I attended my last conference here in Poznan in April 1999, and the last business meeting in Poznan in Summer 1999. I had my last business teleconference in Fall 1999. Today, I use only e-mail communication (see: E-mail vs. creativity and time-management), where I can apply incremental mail processing (see also: incremental reading). Freedom from meetings and deadlines makes it easier to use tasklists, proportional schedule, and adjust the timing of mental effort to the body clock. 

Please do not see my refusal to attend important business meetings even in my home town of Poznan as unkind or a sign of not attaching sufficient importance to an issue in question. 

For exactly same reasons as above, I do not have a mobile phone; not even for private purposes. Nor do I use Internet telephony. If I do not provide contact information, it is not of ill will. It is solely the question of time management. If I happen not to answer mail personally for a longer time, it comes from the fact that I frequently take "creative vacations" that may last a few months. In those periods, I intensely focus on one vital problem and work cut off from major distractions. I believe this attitude will be increasingly prevalent in creative professions. It is not dictated by lack of concern for others. It is dictated by efficiency! I apologize to anyone who feels offended.