What's new at Łukasiewicz – PORT?
- Reading time: 4 min.
Perovskites—found both in nature and produced synthetically—have the potential to transform technologies such as low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Scientists worldwide are working to improve their durability and performance, while also exploring new fields of application.
- Reading time: 3 min.
This October, Łukasiewicz – PORT will welcome young brain researchers from around the world to Wrocław, Poland. The five-day ISN-PORT Neuroscience School will focus on the role of metabolism in neurodegenerative diseases, combining expert lectures, hands-on workshops, and personalized mentoring. Applications are open until September 17, 2025.
- Reading time: 3 min.
Professor Paul Schulz – a world-renowned neurologist from McGovern Medical School (University of Texas) – and Dr Ali Jawaid – a translational neuroscientist researching intergenerational trauma at Łukasiewicz – PORT – meet for an exceptional conversation about science, life, and the relationships that shape a scientific career. Their long-standing mentor–mentee relationship, now transformed into a partnership, reflects a shared dedication to understanding the brain and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Reading time: 3 min.
Dr Joanna Bernacka from the Neurophysiology of Oncology Research Group at Łukasiewicz – PORT has recently returned from a three-week stay at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon, where she participated in the highly regarded Cajal course “Interacting with Neural Circuits.”
- Reading time: 3 min.
Olga Pietrzyk from the Neuroplasticity and Metabolism Research Group, led by Dr. Witold Konopka, has been awarded the Fulbright Junior Research Award for 2025–2026. She will spend 10 months at Stanford University School of Medicine in the United States, carrying out a research project at one of the most prestigious scientific institutions in the world.
- Reading time: 3 min.
Dr. Łukasz Pietras, a member of the Cancer Neurophysiology Group at Łukasiewicz – PORT, has just defended his doctoral dissertation focused on the study of mitochondria – the structures responsible for energy production within cells. His research sheds new light on the role of the enzyme FBP2, which may be crucial not only for sugar metabolism but also for the proper functioning of mitochondria.
- Reading time: 3 min.
The MINIATURA competition, organized by the National Science Centre, is a program aimed at researchers at an early stage of their careers. It represents a first step toward scientific independence and applying for larger national or international grants. In the latest edition of the competition, the research of Dr. Daria Hajka from the Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration Group, led by Dr. Agnieszka Krzyżosiak, was recognized and funded. The awarded project is titled “Validation of a novel human research model for ALS in the context of energy metabolism.”
- Reading time: 3 min.
With a determination that has driven him since childhood and a passion unshaken by setbacks, Dr. Mateusz Kucharczyk, Head of the Cancer Neurophysiology Group at Łukasiewicz – PORT, is now recognized as one of the most promising young scientists in Poland. A recipient of the Minister of Science’s Scholarship for Outstanding Young Scientists, former Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, lecturer, mentor, and leader of an interdisciplinary research team
- Reading time: 3 min.
The final seminar in the SAME-NeuroID project series will focus on the treatment of congenital deafness in children. Genetic and biochemical research may, in the future, enable the assessment of which pediatric patients are most likely to benefit from cochlear implantation.
- Reading time: 3 min.
Although neuroscience is advancing at an impressive pace, the brain remains one of the least understood organs. In response to the need for a deeper understanding of this complex system, two innovative research projects have been launched at the Łukasiewicz – PORT, both recently awarded funding by the National Science Centre (NCN).
