Zbigniew Witczak has been appointed chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences after the resignation of Arthur Kibbe.

Witczak obtained his Ph.D. from the Medical University of Lodz, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lodz, Poland. He then completed postdoctoral work with Roy L. Whistler at Purdue University and briefly worked in the A.E Staley industry.

In 1990 Witczak joined the faculty of the School of Pharmacy at University of Connecticut. He then moved to Wilkes’ Nesbitt School of Pharmacy in 2000 and is a full professor.

Witczak has published more than 98 research papers and book chapters, edited six books and holds six patents in carbohydrate medicinal and biological chemistry.

Although the pharmaceutical atmosphere can highly competitive, Witczak said he believes anything is possible when you have the enthusiasm.

“It is a very challenging position, but when you have a high level of enthusiasm everything is possible,” Witczak said.

Witczak said that one of his goals is to clear the way to process the scholarship by being aggressive in recruiting the undergraduate research material, which will “kill two birds with one stone.”

“If students are happy they will perform better due to the extra experience from the research.”

Witczak said he wants to boost the scholarship of the department, with the first priority to be seen by other departments and other schools of pharmacy.

“The department was happy to endorse the appointment of Dr. Witczak as he is an accomplished researcher and a popular teacher,” said Dr. Arthur Kibbe, former department chair since the inception of the school in 1994. “I fully expect that he will be a positive impact on the function and success of the department over the next decade.

“I am getting close to retirement and believed that the department could best be served to allow my replacement to spend some time with me here to ask question,” he said.