Ryszard Schnepf was born in Warsaw in 1951.

In 1974 , he obtained an MA  at the History Faculty of Warsaw University (thesis on the activity of Ignacy Domeyko in Chile).

In 1975 R. Schnepf began doctoral studies at the History Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, at the Latin and North America Section directed by the founder of the Polish school of Latin American studies, Professor Tadeusz Łepkowski. In 1979 he obtained a Ph.D.  on the origins of mass political parties in Latin America.

From 1978 he was on the staff of the Iberian Studies Chair of Warsaw University, initially as senior assistant, then lecturer and deputy head of the Chair.

In 1982-83, R. Schnepf was a  professor at Indiana University in Bloomington, USA. He conducted research  into student movements in Latin America and a seminar on the modern history of Poland.

In 1988 he worked in Canada as editor of the Polish-language weekly “Echo Tygodnia”.

Since 1991 he has been connected with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;   in 1991-1996 served as Polish Ambassador to Uruguay and Paraguay.

In 1997 R. Schnepf joined the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, where worked as Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Premier Jerzy Buzek’s Head of Protocol.

In July 2000 he became minister plenipotentiary at the Polish Embassy in Madrid, responsible for European Union affairs.

In November 2001 R. Schnepf was appointed Ambassador to Costa Rica, with accreditation for all of Latin America.

In January 2005 he became Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the 25^th anniversary of Solidarity,  and acted as a co-organizer of anniversary events in Poland and abroad.

Between October 31 2005 and June 1 2006 R. Schnepf  was a Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, responsible for foreign and security policy.

In July 2006 R. Schnepf was appointed  Plenipotentiary on Global Threats of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He has been a titular ambassador in the foreign service since 2003.

R. Schnepf is fluent in Spanish and English; he also knows Russian and Italian.

He is the author of over 40 scholarly and journalistic  publications on international relations, with special reference to Latin America. Under the pen name of Paweł Zamorski  he wrote articles for the  underground journal “Obóz” about Nicaragua under  Sandinista rule and for the Toronto “Echo Tygodnia” on the situation in Cuba , Central American conflicts and the American intervention in Panama in 1988.

In January 1998 he acted  as Polish Television commentator on the visit of the Holy Father to Cuba. He is a co-author of “Dzieje Polonii w Ameryce Łacińskiej” (ed. Marcin Kula), which was honoured by the Polonia Society. He  lectures on the relations of the European Union with Latin America at San Diego University, Rice University (Houston) as well as universities in Valladolid, Murcia and Seville.

Ryszard Schnepf is married to Polish Television journalist Dorota Wysocka. They have one daughter, Zuzanna.

His hobbies include literature and music (as a student he played in a professional music ensemble).