{"id":92543,"date":"2025-11-21T11:30:33","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T10:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/?p=92543"},"modified":"2026-02-02T11:10:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T10:10:48","slug":"two-new-phd-holders-at-lukasiewicz-port-they-share-an-interest-in-microscopy-and-a-curiosity-about-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/two-new-phd-holders-at-lukasiewicz-port-they-share-an-interest-in-microscopy-and-a-curiosity-about-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Two New PhD Holders at \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT. They Share an Interest in Microscopy and a Curiosity about Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Dr. Maria Zdo\u0144czyk and Dr. Piotr Kenis have defended their doctoral dissertations. Although they represent different disciplines, they share a common way of looking at the world: through the lens of matter and the tools that allow them to study it at scales invisible to the naked eye. And above all, a curiosity about what else can be created from it. They work together at the Materials Research Laboratory<\/a> at \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT, where they combine their interdisciplinary expertise.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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A chemist fascinated by the process of creation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMaria Zdo\u0144czyk completed her PhD at the Doctoral School of the University of Wroc\u0142aw, carrying out an industrial doctorate in collaboration with \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT. Her supervisors were Dr. hab. Joanna Cybi\u0144ska and Dr. Bart\u0142omiej Potaniec. Her research focused on designing new hybrid silica-based materials doped with stable organic dyes. The goal was highly practical: to create structures that react to changing conditions, such as pH, without degrading even at high temperatures. As a result, Maria developed stable and reversible optical sensors that may be applied in electronics, photonics, and in the future also in sensors monitoring food freshness, pharmaceutical quality, or environmental parameters.\n\nShe has been associated with \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT since 2018. She began as a laboratory technician and later joined research projects. \u201cI like this place because it lets you combine science with practice. Here, research does not end with a publication\u2014it can become a real technology,\u201d emphasizes Dr. Zdo\u0144czyk.\n\nShe is currently completing a postdoc at the E-BEAM Centre at VSB Technical University in Ostrava, where she studies how electron beams can image materials and modify them at the nanoscale, enabling the creation of new functional structures and microdevices.\n\n\u201cFor me, science is not just a profession\u2014it is a way of seeing the world, where even mistakes can lead to discoveries,\u201d says Dr. Zdo\u0144czyk. \u201cIn science, you combine precision with imagination. Something drawn on paper becomes real\u2014visible under a microscope.\u201d\n\nAfter work, Maria relaxes by creating digital art\u2014drawing in Procreate and designing illustrations.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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A geologist exploring Earth\u2019s past with innovative techniques<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPiotr studied geology at the University of Wroc\u0142aw, specializing in petrology and applied mineralogy. He also completed his PhD there under the supervision of Prof. Zdzis\u0142aw Jary and Dr. Sebastian Arabasz.\n\nIn his research, he adapted a mining-origin technique\u2014QEMSCAN\u2014for scientific applications. Thanks to this approach, he reconstructed environmental changes over the last 190,000 years\u2014from glaciation to modern times. His research focused on loess, fine dust deposits that form fertile chernozem soils essential for agriculture. Loess covers around 20% of Earth\u2019s land surface and poses challenges for construction (roads, railway lines) due to its complex micro- and nanoscale structure. Piotr used advanced SEM and TEM imaging, combining geology with modern visualization methods.\n\nAlthough his research explores Earth\u2019s distant past, he is also interested in materials of the future\u2014the evolution of elements and the creation of lunar and Martian regolith simulants.\n\nHe has worked at \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT for eight years. \u201cA major advantage here is unrestricted access to equipment and the chance to learn from experts. I was lucky to meet people who created an inspiring work environment. They motivated me to develop scientifically,\u201d says Dr. Kenis.\n\nIn his free time, he tinkers, watches Korean cinema, and hikes in the mountains, where he combines his professional interests with his hobby by collecting minerals and fossils.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Microscopy \u2013 an interdisciplinary tool<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlthough Dr. Maria Zdo\u0144czyk and Dr. Piotr Kenis specialize in different fields, microscopy is an essential tool in their daily work. By imaging structures at micro- and nanoscale, they study complex materials and design new functional ones. Observing the world at the scale of atoms allows them to identify details that determine how materials behave in practical applications.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Maria Zdo\u0144czyk and Dr. Piotr Kenis have defended their doctoral dissertations. Although they represent different disciplines, they share a common way of looking at the world: through the lens of matter and the tools that allow them to study it at scales invisible to the naked eye. And above all, a curiosity about what else can be created from it. They work together at the Materials Research Laboratory at \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT, where they combine their interdisciplinary expertise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":218,"featured_media":91816,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[204],"tags":[796],"class_list":["post-92543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-successes"],"acf":{"czas_czytania":"3","order":"0"},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-29 11:36:45","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/218"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92543"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97217,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92543\/revisions\/97217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}