Category: Research staff

Marta Mikuła-Zdańkowska, PhD Eng.

University Degree:

PhD degree at the Warsaw University of Technology (2021)

Position at ICTER:

Post-doc

Research Areas:

interferometry, digital holography microscopy, optical metrology, biophotonics

Scopus Profile: 0000-0002-4451-2492
Researcher's ORCID Id: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4451-2492

Dr. Marta Mikuła-Zdańkowska graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw (Application of Physics in Biology and Medicine, specialist – Ocular Optics and Optometry) and in 2012 started her master’s studies at Warsaw University of Technology (Photonics Engineering).

Her doctoral work was devoted to digital holographic microscopy for optical microobject shape reconstruction. The aim of the research carried out within the framework of her PhD studies was to develop new solutions and measurement methods in holographic microscopy to overcome the basic measurement limitations of this technique.

Dr. Mikuła-Zdańkowska joined the Physical Optics and Biophotonics team at ICTER in December 2022 for a postdoctoral position within the NCN DAINA project. At our centre, she is expanding her knowledge and combining her experience in optometry and photonics by developing the OCT method.

Jadwiga Milkiewicz, MSc

University Degree:

MSc Chemistry (Jan Długosz Academy; University of Leeds)

Position at ICTER:

Specialist

Research Areas:

optical engineering, femtosecond spectroscopy, multiphoton processes, fluorescences

E-mail: jmilkiewicz@ichf.edu.pl
Researcher's ORCID Id: 0000-0002-1789-2266

Graduated in Chemistry, for the most of her professional carrier she worked on developing and using various spectroscopic systems, such as, gas phase ion imaging, or fluorescence up-conversion. She joined the Physical Optics and Biophotonics Group in 2019 to work on developing pioneering ophtalmoscopic technique based on two-photon excited fluorescence from the retina of the human eye. Recently, she became a member of the Image-guided Devices for Ophthalmic Care Group, and her main focus is on building an innovative device for fast screening of an early stage keratoconus.

Milena Mućka

Position at ICTER:

PhD student

Research Areas:

Molecular Biology and Genetics

PhD student, performs research in the area of molecular biology and genetics.

Klaudia Nowacka, MEng

University Degree:

Master of Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology

Position at ICTER:

PhD student

Research Areas:

optical coherence tomography, dynamic light scattering, optical singularities

E-mail: knowacka@ichf.edu.pl
Researcher's ORCID Id: 0000-0002-7591-470X

Klaudia Nowacka is a PhD student at ICTER. She holds an MEng degree in Optical Engineering and Photonics from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, where her thesis on composite vortex pattern generation through spatial light modulators demonstrated her expertise in the field.

Klaudia joined the Singular Optics Group under the supervision of Prof. Jan Masajada, where she was able to advance her knowledge and skills in optical setup designing. Her work with Prof. Ireneusz Grulkowski during an internship at Nicolaus Copernicus University has further enhanced her proficiency in structured light and wavefront correction. This expertise is evident in her development of switchable optical vector beam microscopy for high-resolution biomedical imaging.

At ICTER, Klaudia is committed to improving OCT imaging resolution through dynamic light scatterers. She is also a member of the pi-NIRS project, aimed at understanding the optical and dynamical properties of the brain tissue and neurovascular coupling, under the supervision of Dr. Dawid Borycki. In addition, Klaudia has broadened her skill set to include social media marketing and content creation and actively engages in ICTER’s PR and promotion actions.

In her spare time, Klaudia embraces a well-rounded lifestyle that encompasses her passions for knowledge, personal growth, and physical activity. She is an avid reader and enthusiast of psychology, neuroscience, and self-development. Her love for the outdoors is reflected in her enjoyment of hiking and traveling.

Marta Nowak

Position at ICTER:

Animal Keeper

Research Areas:

Animals

Animal keeper – daily care of animals.

Natalia Ochocka-Lewicka, PhD

University Degree:

Dr. Natalia Ochocka-Lewicka obtained her Master’s degree in Neurosciences in 2016 from Charité Universitätsmedizin in Berlin and Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam. In 2022, she earned her PhD in Biological Sciences.

Research Areas:

cellular heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment and sex differences in immune activation in response to tumors

Researcher's ORCID Id: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1464-6382

During her doctoral studies Dr. Ochocka-Lewicka studied the role of immune cells in glioma progression at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology in Warsaw. She was also engaged in commercial projects on TCR immunotherapies.

Dr. Ochocka-Lewicka was a leader of an NCN Preludium grant. She is also a laureate of the FNP START award and a co-author of 8 publications, including papers in Nature Communications and Cell Reports.

At ICTER, she currently works in the Computational Genomics group as a Postdoctoral Fellow; her position is linked to the OPUS 21 grant.

Łukasz Olejnik, MSc Eng.

University Degree:

Łukasz Olejnik obtained a Master’s Engineering degree in Medical and Environmental Biotechnology at the Medical University of Lodz and the Lodz University of Technology.

Position at ICTER:

Technical Specialist

Łukasz Olejnik has worked at Dystrogen Therapeutics Technology Polska in terms of cell therapies and has completed internships abroad at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Austria and Tomas Bata University in Zlín in the Czech Republic.

Łukasz Olejnik is interested in the use of molecular biology in medicine and molecular diagnostics. He started working as a Research Assistant at the Integrated Structural Biology Group in January, 2023.

Damian Panas, PhD

University Degree:

Dr. Damian Panas graduated from Applied Mathematics at Gdańsk University of Technology and obtained his PhD degree in Health Sciences at the Medical University of Gdańsk.

Research Areas:

mathematical modeling, machine learning, computational biology, and high-throughput sequencing data analysis

Researcher's ORCID Id: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2181-2414

From 2017 to 2021 Dr. Panas worked as research and teaching assistant at the Division of Radiology Informatics and Statistics at the Medical University of Gdańsk, then from 2021 to 2022 as bioinformatician and data analyst at the Molecular Biology Laboratory at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn. He is currently working as a Technical Specialist at the Computational Genomics group at ICTER.