Filip Boratyński, University professor
Graduate of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Food biotechnology. He obtained degree of doctor (2011) and habilitated doctor (2019) in the field of biological sciences in the discipline of biotechnology.
Since 2020, he’s been working as a professor at the university, acting as the Leader of the BioActiv Leading Research Group.
In 2017, he was employed as a researcher at Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany within the project 'International Cooperation for teaching and research in the region mildest and south of Europe'. He deepened his interest in biocatalysis during several long-term abroad internships at the University of Florida, USA; Politecnico di Milano, Italy; Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. Scholarship holder of the National Agency for Academic Exchange within the Bekker Programme, where he carried out a scientific project entitled: "Development of efficient and sustainable enzymatic methods for the oxidative cleavage of alkenes".
He took part in trainings organized by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) in Entrepreneurship; Commercialization of Research Results; Research Project Management. Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Committee on Chemistry and Physics in Biology and Medicine of the Wrocław Branch), Polish Chemical Society (Section of Organic Chemistry) and Polish Society of Food Technologists (Wrocław Branch). From 2013 to 2019 he was the supervisor of the Student Science Club SKN OrgChem.
The goal of his research is to develop efficient, ecologically acceptable and cheap methods for obtaining chiral biologically active compounds. In research, he combines work in the field of basic research (looking for microorganisms with specific activity) together with issues of a more applicative nature (sustainable management of agri-food by-products).
Non-scientific interests: sport, travels
Teresa Olejniczak, professor
Graduate of the University of Wroclaw. She defended doctoral dissertation entitled "Chemical and microbiological synthesis of lactones" (promotor Prof. Czesław Wawrzeńczyk) in 1998. In the 1999/2000 academic year she completed a two-semester internship at the University of Ghent (Belgium) in the team of Prof. Jozef Van Beeumen. In 2011, by decision of the Council of the Faculty of Food Sciences, she obtained a degree of habilitated doctor in biological sciences in the discipline of biotechnology, and in 2019 she received the title of Professor of biological sciences.
Her research is interdisciplinary and includes microbiological biotransformation, synthesis and assessment of biological activity of the products. In the majority of published works two following research trends can be identified: use of biotransformation as a method of obtaining biologically active chiral compounds alternative to the chemical synthesis or isolation and the selection of thus obtained compounds for the protection of agricultural products and food against insects and common phytopathogenic fungi.
Non-scientific interests: history, politics
Witold Gładkowki, University professor
Graduate of Food Technology and Human Nutrition at the Agricultural University of Wrocław in the field of food biotechnology (diploma in 2001). He defended his doctoral thesis entitled "Microbial functionalization of bicyclic lactones with alkyl-substituted cyclohexane system" in 2006. He received habilitated doctor degree in biological sciences in the discipline of biotechnology in 2016 on the basis of a series of publications titled: "Chemoenzymatic synthesis and biotransformations of compounds with lactone moiety".
From 2017 to 2021, he was the head of the Division of Food Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. Since 2019, he has been vice-chairman of the Committee on Chemistry and Physics in Biology and Medicine of the Wrocław Branch of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He is a member of the Polish Society of Food Technologists.
His scientific interests include obtaining biologically active lactones through chemoenzymatic methods, application of enzymes in asymmetric synthesis, biotransformations of organic compounds with the participation of microbial cells (bacteria, fungi, yeast), isolation, identification and modification of the structure of phospholipids, obtaining new derivatives of phytosterols, determination of the structure of organic compounds by spectroscopic methods (NMR, IR, HRMS).
He is the author of 67 publications highlighted in the Journal Citation Report (JCR) database, has 8 chapters in scientific monographs, as well as 75 patents. He has participated in 10 research projects. Currently, within the NCN research project led by Prof. Magdalena Rudzińska from the Poznań University of Life Sciences entitled "Study of physicochemical and biological properties of sterol glycerides and their products formed during thermal oxidation", he is involved in the synthesis of triacylglycerols containing stigmasterol residues.
Non-scientific interests: football, general history, literature, film, music
Joanna Kawa-Rygielska, professor
1993 – Master of Science (M.Sc., Eng.) in food technology
1999 – Ph.D. in food technology, dissertation: „Improvement of industrial yeast by protoplast fusion technique”
2012 – D.Sc. in agriculture sciences, monograph: „ The influence of Cr(III) ions on the dynamics and fermentation effects of VHG corn mashes’’
2019 – professor in food technology
Head of the Department of Fermentation and Cereal Technology at the Wroclaw University of Life Sciences.
President of the Polish Society of Food Technologists, Wrocław branch.
Certified Project Manager IPMA D - international level IPMA certification exam.
Foreign scientific internships:
- Universita degli studi della Basilicata in Potenza, Institute of Genetic in Florence; University in Bologna, University in Verona, Italy.
- Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, The International Center for Brewing and Distilling, (participation in the course 'Grain, Malt and Microbial Technology Course').
- The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark - Scholarship of the Danish Government - (6 months), participation in the course "2-D Electrophoresis" (Two-Dimensional Electrophoresis of Proteins using Immobilized pH Gradient) - Pharmacia Biotech, Denmark, participation in a research project on "Isolation of yeast cell membrane proteins".
Research interests are focused on the following topics:
- intensification and optimization of ethanol production technology;
- utilization of agro-industrial wastes for bioethanol production;
- searching for new solutions for utilization of ethanol fermentation residues;
- production of fermented beverage with high xanthohumol content;
- elaboration of technology of special beers based on gluten-free feedstocks;
- production of fermented beverages of high antioxidant activities.
Alicja Z. Kucharska, professor
1993 – Master of Science (M.Sc., Eng.) in food technology
1999 – Ph.D. in food technology, dissertation: „Transformations and the attempt to stabilize anthocyanins from berries and stone fruits”.
2012 – D.Sc. in agriculture sciences, monograph: „Active compounds of cornelian cherry fruit (Cornus mas L.)”
Associate professor in Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Department of Fruit, Vegetable and Plant Nutraceutical Technology.
She identifies biologically active compounds, in particular polyphenols and iridoids, contained in fruits, vegetables and herbs and investigates their stability and transformations in products. She is particularly interested in wild plants (e.g. containing iridoids) and in lesser known (e.g. honeysuckle berries) or forgotten (e.g. cornelian cherry) fruits.
Teresa Kral, University professor
Nuclear physicist by profession (1990). In 1999 she obtained the degree of PhD in biological sciences. From 2019, she has been employed as an assistant professor with the academic degree of D.Sc., based on the thesis entitled “Innovative application of single-molecule fluorescence approach studies on DNA compaction”.
In her professional career, she is currently focusing on research in the field of non-viral gene therapies. For this purpose, she uses highly advanced fluorescence techniques that allow to track system changes at the single-molecule level.
Starting in 2000, she took many scientific internships, which are still continued in cooperation with research centres in France and Czech Republic.
Non-scientific interests: astrophysics, astronomy, yoga, non-fiction, music, travels
Aleksandra Grudniewska, assistant professor
She works at the Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (UPWr). In 2004 she graduated from the Faculty of Food Sciences, UPWr (M.Sc. in food biotechnology). In 2010 she obtained a PhD in chemical sciences, specialty in organic chemistry (University of Wrocław). In 2011-2013 she was on a postdoctoral fellowship at Tokushima Bunri University in Japan, where she worked on isolating bioactive compounds from entomopathogenic fungi and liverworts.
Currently, her main research interests are focused on using deep eutectic solvents (DES) to isolate natural compounds from by-products of the agro-food industry.
Non-scientific interests: literature
Witold Pietrzak, assistant professor
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy obtained in 2015 at Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences. Thesis title „Utilization of bakery industry wastes for bioethanol production”. Since 2014 employed as assistant in the Department of Fermentation and Cereals Technology, since 2018 as adjunct.
Scientific interests concern fermentation technology (ethanol and biomass production); valorization of wastes via biotechnological methods; integrated processes in bioprocess technology; application of filamentous fungi for improvement of technological processes and waste biorefinery.
Non-scientific interests: music, cinema, reading
Marcelina Mazur, assistant professor
She obtained her Master's degree in biotechnology in 2007. She received her PhD degree in biotechnology (specialising in biotechnology) in 2012, by defending her thesis entitled: "Synthesis and microbial transformations of chlorolactones". Since 2016, she has been employed as an assistant professor in the Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis.
She gained scientific experience during internships abroad in Zagreb under the supervision of Professor Višnja Gaurina Srček and in France as a member of Professor Charles Gauthier's team, among others. She has participated in Polish and foreign projects.
She works with the Children's University and is the supervisor of the Molecular Cuisine Student ScienceClub. She is also a member of the Polish Society of Food Technologists.
Her scientific interests lie between chemistry and biotechnology. In her scientific work, she focuses on biocatalysis and its application to obtain biologically active compounds. She particularly focuses on halogenated compounds and those containing a lactone ring in their structure. She is the author of three review publications, twenty-one original works and thirty patents.
Non-scientific interests: sports, literature
Monika Dymarska, assistant professor
She’s a biotechnologist with a specialisation in Food Biotechnology (diploma in 2010). From 2011 to 2014 she was employed as a research assistant in the grant "Biotransformations for pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry" (No. POIG 01.03.01-00/158/09). Her doctoral thesis entitled: "Biotransformations of flavonoid compounds in cultures of entomopathogenic filamentous fungi" was defended in 2019.
In 2019-2020, she carried out a research task entitled: "Comparison of a series of flavones, flavanones and their glycosides obtained by biotechnological methods for prebiotic and growth inhibitory activity of selected pathogenic microorganisms", financed within the Miniatura 3 competition organised by the National Science Centre.
In the years 2020-2021, she implemented a research project for young scientists after her doctorate – "Innovative scientist" funded by the Rector of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. The project was entitled “Microbial functionalisation of flavonoid compounds as a method for obtaining new highly bioavailable active substances of drugs and dietary supplements'”.
In 2022, she completed a five-month research internship at the University of Alberta, Canada, carrying out the project “Antidegradation of bioactive flavonoid glycosides during fermented food production”. The internship was funded by the National Agency for Academic Exchange under the M. Bekker programme.
Her research interests focus on the microbial functionalisation of flavonoid compounds, as well as research involving lactic acid bacteria, including probiotic strains.
She has co-authored 26 publications in JCR-listed journals, one script for students, and more than 100 patents.
Non-scientific interests: psychology, fiction, health
Ewa Szczepańska, assistant professor
She obtained her PhD degree in the discipline of Biological sciences at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences in 2020. She is employed in the Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis as an assistant professor. She completed her Master's degree in Management and Production Engineering at Wrocław University of Economics and obtained a second Master's degree at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, where she studied Technology of Fine Chemicals.
In 2019, she became a beneficiary of the Erasmus+ programme and the Wilhelmina Ivanowska scholarship awarded by the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), under which she carried out research internships at two Italian research centres – the National Research Council and Politecnico di Milano.
Currently, Dr. Ewa Szczepańska is the manager of a research project entitled "Development of biotechnological production of vanillin with the use of by-products from the agri-food industry", funded under the LIDER XII programme of the National Centre for Research and Development (2022 - 2025).
Her research has resulted in more than 30 conference communications, 1 patent application and 13 publications with a total IF = 44. She has been recognised on several occasions for her scientific and organisational achievements both at the university and nationally. The most important awards are the Scholarship of the Minister of Science and Higher Education for outstanding scientific achievements and the Student Nobel Prize in Natural and Agricultural Sciences.
The aim of her research is to develop methods of obtaining chiral biologically active compounds compatible with sustainable development.
Non-scientific interests: astronomy, drawing and tourism
Paulina Strugała-Danak, assistant professor
She received her PhD degree in Biological Sciences in the discipline of Biotechnology in 2018 from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences on the basis of a series of publications entitled "Biologically active fruit extracts and their interaction with biomolecules". She has been employed in the Department of Physics and Biophysics as an assistant since 2012 and as an assistant professor since 2019. She completed a research internship at the Department of Biochemistry at Lviv National University during which she gained the skills needed to work in vivo with animal models.
Her scientific interests include extensive research on the biological activity of plant extracts and natural compounds from the polyphenol group. Her research is focused on finding information on the mechanism of interaction of flavonoids with biomolecules, i.e. with natural and synthetic lipids and also with the main blood protein, human albumin.
She gained scientific experience as a research project leader through a project under Preludium 13 programme financed by the NCN, and she has been a leader of 6 research tasks financed by Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.
She is a member of the Polish Biophysical Society and the Committee on Chemistry and Physics in Biology and Medicine of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław.
Non-scientific interests: phytotherapy, travel, healthy lifestyle
Aleksandra Włoch, assistant professor
She received her PhD degree in Biological Sciences in 2016 from the Faculty of Biology, University of Wrocław, based on her dissertation entitled: "Effect of extracts from selected plant species on the properties of model biological membranes". Since 2022, she has been employed as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Biophysics at Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.
Her research concerns the study of a wide spectrum of biological activities of natural as well as synthetic compounds. She conducts studies of their interaction with cells and biological and model membranes to determine the influence of these compounds on basic membrane parameters. She also deals with the use of liposomes as potential carriers of active substances and the evaluation of the physicochemical properties of such carriers as stability, fluidity and thermotropic parameters.
Her research has resulted in 28 publications, 57 conference proceedings, 12 patents and 4 patent applications. She has also participated in 7 projects funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, one of which is still in progress.
Since 2015, she has been a member of the Committee on Chemistry and Physics in Biology and Medicine, Wrocław Branch of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Non-scientific interests: football, cinema, TV crime series
Agnieszka Krawczyk-Łebek, assistant professor
She graduated from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences with a degree in biotechnology and from the Wrocław University of Science and Technology with a degree in chemical technology. She obtained her PhD degree in 2022 at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, defending her thesis entitled: "Synthesis and biotransformations of flavonoids with a methyl group". She has been employed in the Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis as an assistant since October 2022 and as an assistant professor since January 2023.
Her research interests include: synthesis of flavonoid compounds and their biotransformations in cultures of entomopathogenic filamentous fungi, microbial glycosylation and hydroxylation reactions of flavonoids with a methyl group or a chlorine atom as a means of obtaining new compounds with potentially enhanced bioactivity or altered profile of this activity, studies of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic and antimicrobial activities of flavonoid compounds.
She completed a postgraduate degree in molecular biology at the Jagiellonian University in 2022, and completed a PhD internship under the Erasmus+ programme at the University of Porto. For her "Cycle of 38 inventions concerning new flavonoid glycosides with potential antimicrobial activity", she was awarded the main prize in the 12th edition of the National Student-Inventor Competition, as well as a silver medal at the Geneva Inventions 2022 International Invention Exhibition and a gold medal and the title of the best national invention at the IWIS International Warsaw Invention Exhibition.
She is a co-author of 7 scientific publications with a total IF = 38.5, 21 conference communications and 15 patents and 24 patent applications. She is currently leading a research project of the National Science Centre within the framework of the Preludium 20 competition entitled. "New flavonoid glycosides with a chlorine atom with potential antimicrobial activity".
Non-scientific interests: literature, film, music, crocheting, board games, travelling
El Sayed Ali, visiting professor
A visiting professor at the Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences. He received approximately 1 million PLN for executing the BioExplor Project under the POLONEZ BIS scheme funded by National Science Centre, Poland, and co-founded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant.
Dr. El Sayed graduated in 2006 from the Department of Chemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt. In 2015, he completed his MSc in Applied Microbiology at the Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt. Thesis title “Production Enhancement of Mycophenolic Acid from some Irradiated Fungal Isolates”. In 2018, he completed his PhD in Applied Microbiology at the Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. Thesis title “Production of Paclitaxel, the Anticancer Compound by some Irradiated Fungal Isolates”. He was employed as an assistant professor of Microbiology at the Nuclear Research Center, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt.
His research work focuses on the discovery and production of natural products of industrial applications such as mycophenolic acid, taxol, vinblastine, digoxin, and Huperzine A. Over the last few years, his research interests extended to use fungal endophytes to synthesize different nanomaterials, as a green, cost-effective, and eco-friendly platforms. Dr. El Sayed is an Editor
Author of 26 publications reported in the Journal Citation Report (JCR) database.
Non-scientific interests: sport, reading, travel
dr inż. Katarzyna Patejuk
Phytopathologist, specialized in fungi. Currently employed as an assistant professor in the Department of Plant Protection. Graduated her PhD in 2021, defending her thesis entitled: "Communities of fungi inhabiting alien invasive plants species in urban areas".
Her scientific interest is mainly focused on the mycobiota of invasive alien plants and its impact of domestication process. She participated in thirteen research projects financed by the Forest Fund, concerning forest and semi-natural ecosystems. She also cooperated as a microbiologist in the LIDER XII project "Development of biotechnological production of vanillin using by-products of the agricultural and food industry", fund by the National Center for Research and Development. Currently, she is working on her own project broadening the topic of IAS mycobiota, entitled "Invasive alien plants as a source of pathogens threatening native plant species", financed by the Rector of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences by "Innovative Scientist" program.
She gained scientific experience during internships at the University of Lodz, Bydgoszcz University of Technology and W. Szafer Institute of Botany of the Polish Academy of Sciences, under the scientific supervision of dr Marcin Piątek. She is a member of the Polish Mycological Society, the Polish Forestry Society and the Polish Phytopathological Society and the tutor of the "Armillaria" Student Scientific Association.
She is the co-author of a total of 90 original published works, of which 9 are published in journals from the JCR list.
Non-scientific interests: trekking, boulder climbing, visual art
