Born: 14 October 1904, Poland
Died: 19 November 1990
Country most active: Poland, Abkhazia
Also known as: Liliana Konorski
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Liliana Lubińska was a renowned neuroscientist known for her work on the peripheral nervous system and the discovery of bidirectional axoplasmic transport. In 1946, she co-founded the Department of Neurophysiology at the Nencki Institution with her husband, Jerzy Konorski.
Lubińska began her academic journey at the University of Warsaw before transferring to the University of Paris, Sorbonne. She earned her B.A. in biological chemistry and physiology in 1927 and her doctorate in 1932, conducting research on noniterative reflexes.
During World War II, she and Konorski fled Poland due to the institute’s destruction and later conducted research on peripheral nerve regeneration in the Caucasus.
Her post-war research focused on the peripheral nervous system, particularly axoplasmic transport, revealing its bidirectional nature. Collaborating with Giuseppe Moruzzi and Horace Winchell Magoun, she uncovered the brain stem’s role in controlling awareness and posture during wakefulness and dreams, advancing the field of neuroscience. Lubińska authored around 80 papers during her career, leaving a lasting legacy.