The Astrophysics Division (BP4) of the Department of Fundamental Research at the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ), conducts research in the fields of astrophysics and astronomy, focusing primarily on their observational aspects. The group currently employs 26 staff members at the rank of assistant professor and above, including 14 foreign nationals. Of the 14 PhD students at the Astrophysics group, only two are Polish nationals  - making it the most internationalised unit within the NCBJ. 

At the Department of Astrophysics, we work on cosmology (including the cosmic microwave background, the large-scale structure of the universe, dark matter and gravitational lensing), gravitational waves (multi-messenger astronomy), galactic physics (formation and evolution of galaxies, active galactic nuclei, quasars) and interstellar medium astronomy (star formation, neutron stars and white dwarfs). 

Staff members of the Department of Astrophysics sit on many prestigious committees and panels. For example, they are members of the Astronomy Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the International Astronomical Union, the Polish Astronomical Society, members of the Scientific Council of the Astrophysics Commission of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, corresponding members of the Warsaw Scientific Society, the Polish Relativistic Society, the European Cooperation in Science and Technology, and others. Staff and PhD students are also members of major scientific collaborations such as: JEM-EUSO, Euclid, LSST, LOFAR, POLAR, VIPERS, LIRGO-VIRGO and others, and actively submit proposals for observing time on telescopes such as ALMA and JWST; they also sit on panels of the European Southern Observatory, the JWST time allocation committee and others.

Staff members of the Department of Astrophysics sit on the editorial boards of the university’s monthly journal Delta, as well as the official newsletter of the International Astronomical Union on red giants and supergiants. The Department is also very active in public outreach, both at science festivals and at schools upon invitation.

In summary, our group, is not only highly active in the scientific field but is also recognised by the world’s leading collaborations. In its day-to-day work, it utilises the latest astrophysical observations, publishes in highly reputable scientific journals, presents its achievements at numerous conferences, and shares its knowledge through various outreach activities.