This is a partial list of notable Polish or Polish-speaking or -writing people. People of partial Polish heritage have their respective ancestries credited.
Physics
Czesław Białobrzeski Andrzej Buras Georges Charpak, 1995 Nobel Prize Jan Kazimierz Danysz Marian Danysz Tomasz Dietl Maria Dworzecka, Polish-American computational nuclear physicist Artur Ekert, British-Polish, one of the independent inventors (in 1991) of quantum cryptography Krzysztof Gawedzki, mathematical physicist Marek Gazdzicki, high-energy nuclear physicist Ryszard Horodecki Leopold Infeld Aleksander Jabłoński Jerzy Stanisław Janicki Sylwester Kaliski Zygmunt Klemensiewicz Elżbieta Kossecka Jan Eugeniusz Krysiński Stanislas Leibler, Polish-French-American Maciej Lewenstein, theoretical physicist Olga Malinkiewicz Albert A. Michelson, American, 1907 Nobel Prize Lidia Morawska, Polish-Australian Stanisław Mrozowski Władysław Natanson Witold Nazarewicz, Polish-American nuclear physicist Henryk Niewodniczański Georges Nomarski Karol Olszewski Jerzy Plebański, theoretical physicist Jerzy Pniewski Nikodem Popławski, theoretical physicist Sylwester Porowski, blue laser Józef Rotblat, 1995 Nobel Peace Prize Stefan Rozental, nuclear physicist Wojciech Rubinowicz, theoretical physicist Maria Skłodowska Curie (Marie Curie), two Nobel Prizes Jan Sładkowski Marian Smoluchowski, kinetic theory, Einstein–Smoluchowski relation Andrzej Sobolewski Haroun Tazieff, geologist, volcanologist, cinematographer, writer and French Cabinet minister Andrzej Trautman, mathematical physicist Witelo, philosopher, medieval optics August Witkowski Romuald Niszcz Stanley Wojcicki, Polish-American Mieczysław Wolfke Stanisław Lech Woronowicz, theoretical physicist Zygmunt Wróblewski Marek Żukowski, theoretical physicist Wojciech H. Zurek, theoretical physicist
Chemistry
Osman Achmatowicz Józef Boguski Kazimierz Boratyński Jan Czochralski, modern semiconductors Emil Czyrniański Tadeusz Estreicher, cryogenics pioneer Kazimierz Fajans, Polish-American physical chemist Kazimierz Funk, biochemist, the concept of vitamins Alvin Gajadhur, politician, statesman, chemical engineer, and educator Andrzej Górak Antoni Grabowski, chemical engineer Konstanty Hrynakowski Andrzej Jajszczyk Alina Kabata-Pendias Aharon Katzir, Israeli pioneer in electrochemistry of biopolymers Wiktor Kemula Włodzimierz Kołos Stanisław Kostanecki, organic chemist Marek Gatty-Kostyal Józef R. Lewandowski Ignacy Łukasiewicz, inventor of kerosene lamp Mieczysław Mąkosza Leon Marchlewski Bolesław Masłowski Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, Polish-American Mark Miodownik, British materials scientist and engineer Ignacy Mościcki Marceli Nencki Karol Olszewski Krzysztof Palczewski, biochemist Janusz Pawliszyn Piotr Piecuch, Polish-American theoretical chemist Sylwester Porowski Bronisław Radziszewski Tadeusz Reichstein, Polish-Swiss Nobel Prize winner Michał Sędziwój, Latinized as Sendivogius: alchemist, physician, discoverer of oxygen Zuzanna S. Siwy, Polish-American Maria Skłodowska Curie (Marie Curie), two-time Nobel Prize winner Edward Sucharda Jędrzej Śniadecki Wojciech Świętosławski, "father of thermochemistry" Bohdan Szyszkowski Włodzimierz Trzebiatowski Filip Neriusz Walter, pioneer of organic chemistry Zygmunt Wróblewski Józef Zawadzki, physical chemist
Biology, medicine
Joseph Babinski, French-Polish neurologist, discoverer of the Babinski reflex Gabriela Balicka-Iwanowska, botanist Napoleon Baniewicz, Polish-Lithuanian nobleman and neurologist, discoverer of the Baniewicz reflex Edmund Biernacki, physician, discoverer of erythrocyte sedimentation rate Czesław Bieżanko, entomologist Jan Biziel, physician, social activist Tytus Chałubiński, physician Napoleon Cybulski, neurophysiologist, discoverer of adrenaline Maria Antonina Czaplicka, anthropologist Jan Czekanowski, anthropologist Kazimierz Dąbrowski, psychiatrist, creator of the theory of positive disintegration Wiktor Dega, surgeon and orthopedist August Dehnel, biologist Józef Dietl, physician Hermann Dietz, physician, senator of the Republic of Poland, social activist Jan Dzierżon, zoologist, apiarist Stefan Falimierz, physician, herbalist Sidney Farber, American pediatric pathologist and cancer biologist, founder of the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute Edward Flatau, neurologist Ludwik Fleck, Polish-Israeli microbiologist, philosopher of science Eva Frommer, child psychiatrist and anthroposophist Kazimierz Funk, biochemist, coined the term vitamin Marian Gieszczykiewicz, physician and bacteriologist Emil Godlewski, embryologist Samuel Goldflam, neurologist Adam Gruca, surgeon and orthopaedist Ryszard Gryglewski, pharmacologist, physician Tomasz Guzik (born 1974), physician Ludwik Hirszfeld, microbiologist and serologist Janina Hurynowicz, neurophysiologist Feliks Paweł Jarocki, zoologist and entomologist Stefania Jabłońska, dermatologist Walery Jaworski, physician Konstanty Jelski, ornithologist Zbigniew Kabata, biologist Ewa Kamler (born 1937), biologist and ichthyologist Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, paleobiologist Aleksander Koj, physician, scientist Ryszard Kole, Polish-American pharmacologist Jerzy Konorski, neurophysiologist Stefan Kopeć, biologist Irena Koprowska, pathologist Hilary Koprowski, polio vaccine Tadeusz Krwawicz, medical pioneer Elwira Lisowska (born 1930), biochemist Abraham Low, American neuropsychiatrist Margaret Lowenfeld, British paediatrician and pioneer of Sandplay Therapy Liliana Lubińska, neuroscientist Zofia Majewska, neurologist and professor Karol Marcinkowski, physician Eugène Minkowski, psychiatrist influenced by Bergson and phenomenology Ludwik Młokosiewicz, botanist Maksymilian Nowicki, biologist Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, biologist Janina Oszast, biologist, palaeobotanist and resistance fighter Marek Pienkowski (born 1945), Polish-American immunologist Piotr Ponikowski, cardiologist Moshe Prywes (1914–1998), Israeli physician and educator; first President of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Tadeusz Reichstein (1897–1996), Polish-Swiss physiologist; 1950 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine Zbigniew Religa, cardiologist Józef Rostafiński, biologist Albert Sabin, polio vaccine; President of the Weizmann Institute of Science Andrzej Wiktor Schally (1926–2024), Polish-American Nobel-laureate endocrinologist Hanna Segal, British leading Kleinian psychoanalyst Michael Sela (1924–2022), Israeli immunologist; President of the Weizmann Institute of Science Henryk Skarżyński, otolaryngologist, audiologist, phoniatrist Michalina Stefanowska, neurophysiologist Eduard Adolf Strasburger (born in Poland, of German descent), botanist Andrzej Szczeklik, immunologist Jan Sztolcman, ornithologist Wacław Szybalski, Polish-American physician Władysław Taczanowski, zoologist Andrzej K. Tarkowski, embryologist Zbylut Twardowski, Polish-American physician Jerzy Vetulani, neuroscientist, pharmacologist and biochemist Emil Warmiński, physician, social and national activist Józef Warszewicz, botanist and biologist Rudolf Weigl, typhus vaccine Wanda Wesołowska, zoologist Helena Rosa Wright, English physician influential in family planning Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska, Polish-American physician Jozef J. Zwislocki, neuroscientist Helena Żygulska-Mach, physician and ophthalmologist
Astronomy
Franciszek Armiński Tadeusz Banachiewicz Jan Brożek Albert Brudzewski Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer, the son of a Polish father and a mother who was of mixed German-Polish descent; he is also often considered a German by Germans Wojciech Dziembowski Władysław Dziewulski Michał Falkener Jan Gadomski Elisabeth Hevelius, astronomer and wife of Johannes Hevelius Johannes Hevelius, mayor of Gdańsk; often also considered a German Felicjan Kępiński Marian Albertovich Kowalski Kazimierz Kordylewski Wojciech Krzemiński Jan Latosz Stanisław Lubieniecki Bohdan Paczyński Marcin Poczobutt-Odlanicki Alexius Sylvius Polonus Adam Prażmowski Antoni Przybylski Agata Różańska Konrad Rudnicki Jan Mikołaj Smogulecki Jan Śniadecki Andrzej Udalski Wiesław Wiśniewski Aleksander Wolszczan, first discovery of extrasolar planets Thomas Zebrowski Anna N. Żytkow
Mathematics
Nachman Aronszajn, Polish-American Michel Balinski, American-French Stefan Banach Tadeusz Banachiewicz Kazimierz Bartel Andrzej Białynicki-Birula Karol Borsuk Jacob Bronowski, Polish-British Jan Brożek Andrzej Ehrenfeucht, Polish-American Meier Eidelheit Samuel Eilenberg, Polish-American Andrzej Grzegorczyk Witold Hurewicz Henryk Iwaniec Tadeusz Iwaniec, Polish-American Zygmunt Janiszewski Stanisław Jaśkowski, logician Jan Jaworowski, Polish-American Mark Kac, Polish-American Stefan Kaczmarz Marek Karpinski, computer scientist Dawid Kielak Bronisław Knaster Sławomir Kołodziej Robert Kowalski, American-British logician Zdzisław Krygowski Krystyna Kuperberg, Polish-American Włodzimierz Kuperberg Kazimierz Kuratowski Izabella Łaba, Polish-Canadian Franciszek Leja Stanisław Leśniewski Adolf Lindenbaum Stanisław Łojasiewicz Antoni Łomnicki Jerzy Łoś Jan Łukasiewicz, logician, inventor of the parenthesis-free Polish Notation Benoit Mandelbrot, Polish-born French-American Edward Marczewski Józef Marcinkiewicz Stanisław Mazur Stefan Mazurkiewicz Jan Mikusinski Michał Misiurewicz Andrzej Mostowski Jan Mycielski, Polish-American Jerzy Spława-Neyman Otton M. Nikodym Wiesława Nizioł Andrew Odlyzko, Polish-American Władysław Orlicz Aleksander Pełczyński Józef H. Przytycki Maksym Radziwill, Polish-Canadian Helena Rasiowa Marian Rejewski, mathematician-cryptologist who broke the German Enigma cipher Jerzy Różycki, Enigma-breaker Stanisław Ruziewicz Czesław Ryll-Nardzewski Stanisław Saks Wojciech Samotij Juliusz Schauder Wacław Sierpiński Roman Sikorski Julian Sochocki, Polish-Russian Hugo Steinhaus Włodzimierz Stożek Wanda Szmielew, logician Władysław Ślebodziński Ivan Śleszyński, Polish-Russian Jan Śniadecki Alfred Tarski, Polish-American Adam Henryk Toruńczyk Stanisław Ulam, co-designer (with Edward Teller) of the hydrogen bomb Kazimierz Urbanik Arnold Walfisz Tadeusz Ważewski Mariusz Wodzicki Józef Hoene-Wroński Kazimierz Zarankiewicz Stanisław Zaremba Henryk Zygalski, Enigma-breaker Antoni Zygmund, Polish-American Kazimierz Żorawski
Computer science
Krzysztof R. Apt Paul Baran, American Krzysztof Cios, Polish-American Jarosław Duda Andrzej Ehrenfeucht, Polish-American Siemion Fajtlowicz, Polish-American, known for his Graffiti Aleksander Ihnatowicz Tomasz Imieliński, Polish-American Piotr Indyk Jacek Karpiński Marek Karpiński Marian Mazur Jan Mycielski, Polish-American Zdzislaw Pawlak Emil Leon Post, American Stanisław Radziszowski, Polish-American Andrew Targowski, Polish-American Jack Tramiel, Polish-American Andrzej Trybulec, Mizar system Stanisław Ulam Jan Węglarz Michał Zalewski
Linguistics
Jolanta Antas Jerzy Bartmiński Jan Niecisław Baudouin de Courtenay (1845–1929), developed the theory of the phoneme and phonetic alternations. Andrzej Bogusławski (1931–2026), Russian-Polish-Russian lexicographer, philosopher of language, semioticist Aleksander Brückner (1856–1939), Slavicist and Polish-language lexicographer Kazimierz Bulas (1903–1970), Polish–English lexicographer (Kościuszko Foundation Dictionary) Jan Bystroń Jan Czekanowski Andrzej Gawroński Grzegorz Knapski Władysław Kopaliński Onufry Kopczyński (1736–1817), creator of Polish-grammar terminology Alfred Korzybski, originator of general semantics Mikołaj Kruszewski Jerzy Kuryłowicz Samuel Bogumił Linde (1771–1847), Polish-language lexicographer Jan Mączyński Halina Mierzejewska Jan Miodek