The YASAS General Assembly (Young Academies Science Advice Structure) elected Dr Jacek Kolanowski, delegate of the Academy of Young Scholars of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), as the first president. YASAS is a European initiative associating academies of young scientists and was established in July 2020.

Dr Jacek Kolanowski is the head of the Department of Molecular Probes and Pro-drugs (since 2017) and the Center for High-throughput Screening Research (since 2018) of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań. He manages three research grants, develops international scientific cooperation and conducts activities to popularize science. From July 2019, he participates in the Academy of Young Scholars of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

YASAS includes academies of young scientists of Poland, Romania, Germany, Scotland, Spain, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Hungary and Norway, and two international academies based in Germany: Young Academy of Europe and Global Young Academy.