Professor of agricultural sciences, vice-rector for the SGGW development, a prominent expert and scientific authority in the field of fruit physiology and storage. An ex student and continuator of the Polish school of horticulture founders; prof. Szczepan Pieniążek and prof. Andrzej Sadowski. He is committed to knowledge dissemination and combines his teaching and scientific activities with close cooperation with the social and economic environment.  Professor Tomala has been working as an academic teacher at SGGW since 1981. He has served as: Head of the Faculty of Horticulture (1997-1999; 2006-2016), Vice-Dean for Student Affairs (1994-1999), Dean of the Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture (1999-2005), Disciplinary Spokesman for Academic Teachers (2013-2016), Vice-Rector for Didactics (2016-2020). He is a member of many senate, and rector’s committees.  Since 2020, he acts as the Vice-Rector for Development at SGGW, and a professor at the Faculty of Horticulture and Economics of Horticulture. In his scientific and research activities, he has been focusing on issues related to the quality and storage capacity of fruits, including the causes of variation in the mineral composition and storage capacity of apples and pears, methods for determining maturity, enrichment with calcium, apple tree growth stunting factors, use of gibberellins, pre- and post-harvest blocking the ethylene receptors and KA and ULO storage, also in a dynamic controlled atmosphere. 

He has published 518 works, including 166 original creative works and monograph chapters, 106 scientific release notes presented at national and international conferences, 239 popular science articles, 5 books and monographs and 2 implementation manuals. Professor led 6 national scientific projects within the KBN (the State Committee for Scientific Research) competitions, 17 scientific programs financed by local and international economic entities and 1 project financed by the European Union. Served as the Dean of the Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, he initiated the construction of two facilities: a greenhouse and a storage facility with the fully automatic control of atmospheric gas composition. 

Professor contributed to organizing and equipping the specialized Laboratory of Fruit Physiology and Storage, with modern equipment (including gas chromatographs and GCMS, HPLC liquid chromatography, 2  Instron test machines, modern refractometers and TitroLine titrators, IR thermometer, ultracentrifuge) used by PhD students, diploma students and students in general. He gave over 150 lectures for engineering and technical field staff and fruit growers, he is the author of peer reviews of over 60 scientific publications and 50 projects, numerous expertise and opinions as a SITO expert. (Scientific and Technical Association for Horticulture Engineers and Technicians). Involved in teacher training, courses for master fruit growers, as well as in the organization of agricultural knowledge and skills competitions. Co-organizer of the 25th edition of the Open Day of the Experimental Orchard at SGGW and the 15th edition of the FruitPro International Fair of Fruit Farming Technology. He is a member of the Polish Society for Horticultural Sciences (1990–), Polish Botanical Society (2002–), Warsaw Scientific Society (2004–). 

In 2003-2021 he was the chairman of the scientific board at the Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice. Professor Tomala was the deputy chairman of the Committee of Horticultural Sciences, PAS (2003-2006), and a member of that Committee (2007-2015), a member of Section III – Biological, Agricultural, Forestry and Veterinary Sciences of the Central Committee for Degrees and Titles (2013-2016). A member of many scientific editorial boards, such as: the editorial board of Folia Horticulturae (2001–), Acta Agrobotanica (2002–), the editorial board of the scientific journal of the Poznan University of Life Sciences, Nauka Przyroda Technologie (2007-2016). The Scientific consultant of the monthly magazine, SAD (2006–). He participated in over 50 national and international conferences and symposia in Belgium, China, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, the USA and Italy. He delivered 5 plenary speeches at international symposia (as keynote speaker), 9 introductory speeches at national conferences and he chaired sessions for 7 international and national conferences, as well as he delivered lectures in Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Ukraine.  He still actively participates in the process of modernizing study programs, improving the quality of education and initiating international mobility of SGGW students and academic teachers. He has also developed a training program for the fruit physiology and storage and horticulture modules from scratch. He was the initiator and organizer of long-term student internships in Canada and Switzerland.  

He participated in the development of the commodity science study program. He is the co-author of three 1-volume studies for students. For 12 years he has been running the  European horticulture and storage course, in the form of off-site workshops to leading research units and EU business facilities. He promoted 283 graduates and 12 doctors of agricultural sciences. He prepared 38 reviews and opinions for doctoral dissertations and habilitation proceedings,  17 opinions for awarding the professor’s title, or to be hired on a position of a professor, 1 opinion for awarding the title of doctor honoris causa, 1 for granting the right to start the path to a doctoral degree. He acted  five times as an expert in the works of the Assessing Team at the Horticulture faculty. For his scientific, didactic and organizational achievements, he has been already awarded: The Gold Cross of Merit, Medal of the Commission of National Education, Badge of Honor “Merit for Agriculture”, Badge of Honor For Merits for the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.  He has also been given numerous rewards from the Rector of the SGGW.