Nobel Prize-winning scientist Victor Ambros, whose father was born in pre-war Poland, has become a Polish citizen.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the news on social media, telling the American molecular biologist in a video call: “I have great news for you: You're a Pole, with a Polish passport.”
Ambros has Polish roots through his father, who was born in the Vilnius region before World War II. He was later deported to the Third Reich as a forced labourer and eventually emigrated to the United States.
Ambros said he was honoured and expressed his appreciation that Tusk had taken the time to call him personally.
Tusk also expressed hope that he would meet Ambros in May in several Polish cities.
Ambros announced during a visit to Poland in March that he was seeking Polish citizenship, although formally the application was for the restoration of his Polish citizenship.
Ambros is recognised for his work in gene regulation and molecular biology. In 2024, he and Gary Ruvkun received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of microRNA and its role in gene regulation.
Ambros graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He began his academic career as a lecturer at Harvard University before moving to Dartmouth College. Since 2008, he has been affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he holds the title of Silverman Professor of Natural Sciences in the Program in Molecular Medicine and serves as Co-Director of the RNA Therapeutics Institute.
Ambros has received numerous prestigious awards for his achievements, culminating in the Nobel Prize.
In May 2025, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Silesian University of Technology. According to university authorities, this was the first ceremony conferring an honorary doctorate upon Ambros, not only since he received the Nobel Prize but in his entire career.
Ambros currently chairs the Scientific Council at the International Institute of Molecular Mechanisms and Machines of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IMol).
In a March interview with PAP, Ambros said that by seeking Polish citizenship, he wished to pay tribute to his Polish ancestors. He added that he viewed this as an opportunity to contribute to the development of Polish science and Poland’s position in the world. (PAP)
PAP - Science in Poland
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