People

Head

Anna Ajduk, PhD, DSc, University Professor

Research interests
  • the development of new non-invasive methods for assessing the quality of mammalian oocytes and embryos
  • the impact of physiological factors (e.g., aging, metabolic disorders) and environmental factors (e.g., xenoestrogens) on the quality of mammalian oocytes and embryos
Teaching
  • Biotechnologia zwierząt (PL)
  • Biologia rozwoju zwierząt (PL)
  • Zarodki i zarodkowe komórki macierzyste (PL)
  • Cytofizjologia (PL)
  • Biologia rozwoju (PL, Faculty of Medicine)
  • Biologia komórki i histologia (PL, Faculty of Physics)
  • Podstawy biologii komórki (PL, Faculty of Chemistry)
Current projects   Completed projects
  • Principal Investigator of NCN Opus 20 grant 2020/39/B/NZ5/02962: "Biomechanical properties of trophectoderm as a marker of mammalian embryo quality"
  • Principal Investigator of NCN Opus 14 grant 2017/27/B/NZ5/00405: "OCM imaging and assessment of oocyte/embryo developmental potential"
  • Principal Investigator of NCN Sonata 4 grant 2012/07/D/NZ5/04301: "Age-dependent infertility in females: effect of maternal aging on calcium homeostasis in mammalian oocytes”
  • Contractor for the NCBR grant Program Badań Stosowanych (PBS 1) PBS1/A9/20/2013: "Development of optical interferometric methods for studying the dynamics of biological systems. RIMO-BIOL”
  • Principal Investigator of FNP Homing-Plus grant HOMING PLUS/2011-4/1: "Effect of postovulatory aging and age-dependent oxidative stress on developmental competence of mammalian oocytes"
  • FNP Support Grant for KOLUMB Program Scholars "Regulation of the dynamics of the M phase of the first cleavage stage in mammals”
Membership in associations and positions held
  • Visegrad Group Society for Developmental Biology (V4SDB) – board member (2023-2027)
  • Society for Biology of Reproduction - board member (2021-2021)
  • European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)
  • Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR)
  • Commission on Developmental Biology of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU)
  • The Molecular Cell Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2017-2024)
  • Committee on Veterinary Sciences and Reproductive Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2017-2024)
  • Scholarship Recipients Club FNP (prezes w l. 2013-2017)
  • Polish Young Academy (2016-2021, chairperson 2017-2019)
Awards and Honors
  • University of Warsaw Rector’s Award for Academic Achievement (2017, 2024)
  • Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw for achievements that contribute to the development and prestige of the University of Warsaw (2015, 2018, 2020)
  • University of Warsaw Rector’s Award for a habilitation dissertation (2018)
  • The Prof. Stefan Pieńkowski Award for outstanding achievements in science (2013)
  • The FNP KOLUMB Fellowship (2008)
  • FEBS Short-term Fellowship (2008)
  • FNP START Scholarship (2008)
  • University of Warsaw Rector’s Award for a doctoral dissertation (2007)
  • Schering Foundation Short-term Fellowship (2004)
Other information
  • Head of the Department of Embryology (2026-2028)
  • Chair of the Scientific Council for the Biological Sciences (2025-2028)
  • Vice-Dean for Organization of Research (2024-2028)
 
Publications:
ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7262-1370

(+48) 22 55 41 212 a.ajduk@uw.edu.pl

Staff

Zofia Dubak

(+48) 22 55 41 242 z.dubak@uw.edu.pl

Prof. Andrzej Dziembowski, PhD, DSc

See more: Laboratory of RNA Biology - ERA Chairs Group
ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8492-7572

 

adziembowski@iimcb.gov.pl

Oliwia Jędruch-Smulska, PhD student

Research interests
  • the impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on female infertility
  • reproductive toxicology
  • in vitro culture of mouse oocytes
Current projects
Completed projects
  • Contractor on a commercial project conducted by UJCM on behalf of Adamed Pharma S.A., headquartered in Pieńków (K/KDU/000787): “Development of an inhaled formulation of AD-051.4”
Membership in associations and positions held
  • Society for Biology of Reproduction – member
  • Visegrád Group Society for Developmental Biology Meeting (V4SDB) - member
Awards and Honors
  • Third place for the best oral presentation at The 6th Winter Workshop of the Society for Biology of Reproduction, Kraków, Poland, February 19–20, 2026.
  • Increase in the doctoral scholarship for academic achievement during the 2023–2024 academic year for doctoral students enrolled in the doctoral programs at the University of Warsaw
  • First place for the best oral presentation at the 10th Congress of the Society for Biology of Reproduction, Warsaw, Poland, September 12–14, 2024
 
Publications:
ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5971-1269

(+48) 22 55 41 244 o.jedruch-smulska@uw.edu.pl

Katarzyna Krawczyk, PhD

Research interests
  • regulation of mouse embryo size
  • in vitro culture of post-implantation mouse embryos
  • cell differentiation in preimplantation mouse embryos
Teaching
  • Biologia rozwoju zwierząt (PL)
  • Zarodki i zarodkowe komórki macierzyste zwierząt (PL)
  • Animal embryos and embryonic stem cells (ENG)
  • Biotechnologia zwierząt (PL)
  • Podstawy genetyki (PL)
  • Podstawy biologii komórki (PL, Faculty of Chemistry)
Completed projects
Membership in associations and positions held
  • Visegrád Group Society for Developmental Biology – member
  • 1st Local Ethics Committee on Animal Experimentation – secretary
  • Faculty Admissions Committee – secretary
Awards and Honors
  • University of Warsaw Rector’s Team Award for scientific achievements (team member, 2025)
  • EMBO travel grant to cover the costs of a research internship at the Institute of Genetics & Development in Rennes, France (2018)
Other information
  • Study visit to the Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, Mammalian Embryo and Stem Cell, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2022
  • Research internship at the Institute of Genetics & Development, Rennes, France, 2018
 
Publications:
ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8980-2103

(+48) 22 55 41 242 kn.krawczyk@uw.edu.pl

Prof. Marek Maleszewski, PhD, DSc

Research interests
  • regulation of preimplantation development in mammals
  • formation of the first embryonic cell lines
  • mechanisms of fertilization
  • factors responsible for the regulatory capabilities of mammalian embryos
  • transgenesis
  • cloning
  • stem cells
Teaching
  • Biologia rozwoju zwierząt (PL)
  • Biotechnologia zwierząt (PL)
  • Mechanizmy ewolucji (PL)
  • Perspektywy współczesnej biologii i biotechnologii (PL)
  • Organizmy modelowe w badaniach biologicznych (PL)
  • Biologia rozwoju (PL, Faculty of Medicine)
  • Podstawy biologii komórki (PL, Faculty of Chemistry)
  • Fundamentals of organismal and environmental biology (PL, Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics, and Mechanics)
  • Seminar of the Department of Embryology (PL)
Completed projects
  • Principal Investogator of NCN OPUS 5 grant 2013/09/B/NZ3/02404: „The first developmental decisions: cell differentiation in preimplantation mouse embryo”
  • Principal Investogator (leadership assumed following the death of the original project director, Prof. Andrzej Krzysztof Tarkowski, Ph.D.) of NCN OPUS 8 grant 2014/15/B/NZ3/02394: „Generation of mouserat chimaeras using embryonic stem cells (ES cells) injected into preimplantation embryos of the different species: a possible potential method of rescuing endangered mammalian species and a model for studying long term survival and functioning of xenografts”
  • Supervisor of NCN PRELUDIUM 14 grant 2017/27/N/NZ3/00625: „The role of paracrine interactions involving FgfR1 and FgfR2 receptors in regulation of development of the preimplantation mouse embryo”
  • Project Manager for Measure VI.1: Strengthening and Developing Cooperation Between the University of Warsaw and the Medical University of Warsaw under the IDUB program “Optimization of the production of a new cell line exhibiting hepatocyte function”
Membership in associations and positions held
  • Warsaw Scientific Society — regular member
  • Commission on Developmental Biology of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU) - member
Awards and Honors
  • Team Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw for a collection of scholarly publications (2025)
  • Team Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw for scholarly achievements (2018)
 
Publications:
ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6699-0452

(+48) 22 55 41 210 ma.maleszewski@uw.edu.pl

Dariusz Maluchnik

Fluorescent/confocal microscopy, help desk
ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4383-4203

(+48) 22 55 41 213 d.t.maluchnik@uw.edu.pl

Aneta Suwińska, PhD, DSc, University Professor

Research interests
  • mechanisms governing cell lineage formation during mouse embryonic development
  • regulatory capabilities of mouse embryos
  • biomechanical properties of cells
  • microRNAs in early mouse development
  • stem cells as models of embryonic development
  • search for biomarkers of embryo quality
Teaching
  • Biologia rozwoju zwierząt (PL)
  • Zarodki i zarodkowe komórki macierzyste zwierząt (PL)
  • Animal embryos and embryonic stem cells (ENG)
  • Biotechnologia zwierząt (PL)
  • Zwierzęta w badaniach naukowych (PL)
  • Perspektywy współczesnej biologii i biotechnologii (PL)
  • Biologia rozwoju (PL, Faculty of Medicine)
Current projects
  • Principal Investigator of IDUB Research Impulses:„Identification of microRNAs linked to impaired blastocyst development and assessment of their utility as non-invasive indicators of embryo quality”
  • Principal Investigator of IDUB Microgrant for Preliminary Research (Action IV.3.1): „The effect of blastomere biomechanical properties on the regulatory capabilities of the preimplantation mouse embryo”
Completed projects
  • Contractor for the OPUS 5 grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education 2013/09/B/NZ3/02404: „The first developmental decisions: cell differentiation in preimplantation mouse embryo”
  • Contractor for the MAESTRO 2 grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education 2012/04/A/NZ3/00568: „Generation of interspecific mouse↔rat chimaeras and estimation of the possibility of postimplantation development of rat and mouse embryos/foetuses in females of the opposite species”
  • Contractor for the OPUS grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education NN301311637: „Mechanisms of cell differentiation in the preimplantation mouse embryo: The formation of the trophectoderm and the embryonic node, and within it, the epiblast and hypoblast”
  • Project Manager financed by the University of Warsaw's (UW) Independent Research Program: „The role of the platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM-1) in the separation of the epiblast and hypoblast layers during embryo ball formation”
  • Project Manager financed by the University of Warsaw's (UW) Independent Research Program: „Does the ability of hamster and mouse germ cells to maintain pluripotency depend on the concentration of the antileukemic factor LIF in the culture medium?”
  • Project Manager financed by the University of Warsaw's (UW) Independent Research Program: „A comparison of the expression of pluripotency and differentiation markers in mouse and red vole embryos”
Membership in associations and positions held
  • Employee Evaluation Committee at the Department of Biology, University of Warsaw – member
  • Animal Welfare Team at the Department of Biology, University of Warsaw – member
  • Council of the Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw – member
  • University of Warsaw Strategy Implementation Team – member
  • Visegrád Group Society for Developmental Biology – member
Awards and Honors
  • Team Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw for a collection of publications (2025)
  • Team Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw for scientific achievements (2018)
  • Scholarship for Young PhDs for a 2-week internship abroad as part of the project “Chemistry, Physics, and Biology for the Needs of 21st-Century Society—New Major Fields of Study at the First, Second, and Third Levels,” No. POKL.04.01.01-00-100/10, implemented under the Human Capital Operational Program (2015)
  • Scholarship for Young PhD Graduates as part of the project “Modern Methods, Medicines, and Therapies for the Health and Economy of 21st-Century Europe—Interdisciplinary Education in Biomedical Sciences at the Second and Third Cycle Levels,” Measure 4.3. POKL: Strengthening the teaching capacity of universities in key areas in the context of the Europe 2020 Strategy objectives, No. 04.03.00-00-060/12 (2013)
  • Individual Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw for contributions to the organization of the “Mammalian Embryology Conference. Celebrating Pioneering Work of Professor Andrzej K. Tarkowski” (2013)
  • Third-Class Team Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw for scientific achievements (2010)
  • Third-Class Individual Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw for scientific achievements (2009)
  • Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw for an outstanding doctoral dissertation (2008)
 
Publications:
ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8366-2197

(+48) 22 55 41 212 a.suwinska@uw.edu.pl

Katarzyna Szczepańska, PhD, DSc

Research interests
  • the role of the CD9 protein in the polyspermy block
  • the mechanism of cell polarization in the preimplantation mammalian embryo
  • the role of PAR polarization proteins in oogenesis and the early stages of mouse embryonic development
  • the role of aPKCζ in inhibiting the Hippo pathway in trophoblast precursor cells of the preimplantation mouse embryo
  • the effect of culture conditions on the expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes in preimplantation mouse embryos
  • the role of microRNAs in the differentiation of the trophectoderm and primitive endoderm in the preimplantation mouse embryo
Teaching
  • Biologia rozwoju zwierząt (PL)
  • Zarodki i zarodkowe komórki macierzyste (PL)
  • Różnorodność biologiczna (PL)
  • Biotechnologia zwierząt (PL)
  • Biologia rozwoju (PL, Faculty of Medicine)
Completed projects
Membership in associations and positions held
  • Deputy Director of the Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences
  • Teaching Council of the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw - member
  • Scientific Council of the Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw - member
Awards and Honors
  • University of Warsaw Rector’s Team Award for Scientific Achievements (team member, 2025)
  • Honorable Mention for Teaching Excellence, awarded by students of the Faculty of Biology (2021)
 
Publications:
ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8805-725X

(+48) 22 55 41 239 kb.szczepanska@uw.edu.pl

Małgorzata Waksmundzka, PhD

ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6231-5129

(+48) 22 55 41 213 m.waksmundzka@uw.edu.pl

Agnieszka Walewska, PhD

Research interests
  • the role of ion channels in the preimplantation and periimplantation development of the mouse embryo, with particular emphasis on the PIEZO1 mechanosensitive channels
  • the biomechanical properties of trophectoderm cells, including cytoplasmic movement velocity as an indicator of mammalian embryo quality
Teaching
  • Animal embryos and embryonic stem cells (ENG)
  • Biologia rozwoju zwierząt (PL)
  • Cytofizjologia (PL)
  • Różnorodność biologiczna (PL)
  • Skąd się biorą dzieci? Podstawy biologii rozrodu ssaków (PL)
  • Podstawy biologii komórki (PL, Faculty of Chemistry)
Current projects
  • Principal Investigator of NCN SONATA 21 grant: „The role of the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 in pre- and peri-implantation development of the mouse embryo”
Completed projects
Membership in associations and positions held
  • Society for Biology of Reproduction - member since 2024; social media profile administrator for the Society for Reproductive Biology
  • Visegrad Group Society for Developmental Biology (V4SDB) – member since 2023
Awards and Honors
  • Team Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw for a collection of scientific publications (2024)
  • Second place for the best oral presentation among young researchers at the 10th Meeting of the Society for Biology of Reproduction, Warsaw, Poland, September 12–14, 2024
  • Honorable Mention for a poster presentation at the 1st Virtual Scientific Conference of the Ochota Campus; online, June 30–July 1, 2020
  • Award for the best oral presentation at the 6th Mitochondrion “Bioenergetics Update” conference, Poznań, Poland, December 8, 2017
  • First place among second-year doctoral students at the Doctoral Student Report Session of the Department of Biochemistry, M. Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, June 26–27, 2017
  • First place among first-year doctoral students during the Doctoral Student Report Session at the Department of Biochemistry, M. Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, June 27–28, 2016
  • Internship funded by the Society for Reproductive Biology as part of the “TBR 2024 Internships” program, at the Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding Fundamentals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Poznań University of Life Sciences, October 6–26, 2024
  • University of Warsaw Microgrant, Action II.2.2. “Mobility Fund” under the Initiative of Excellence – Research University (IDUB) program for participation in the 56th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction “Reproductive Sciences: From Innovation to Impact,” Ottawa, Canada, July 11–14, 2023,
  • Grant from the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) to participate in the Young Scientists Forum (July 4–7, 2018) and the 43rd FEBS Congress (July 7–12, 2018), Prague, Czech Republic
  • Grant from the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (Youth Travel Fund Grant, FEBS) to participate in the course “Biophysics and Medicine of Channels and Transporters: Electrifying New Insights,” Erice, Sicily, Italy
Other information
  • Member of the Council of the Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw (2023–2024, 2024–2028)
  • Member of the Scientific Committee of the 6th Winter School of the Society for Reproductive Biology
  • Participant in the 4th edition of the “Young Educators” program at the University of Warsaw
 
Publications:
ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6911-627X

(+48) 22 55 41 244 a.walewska@uw.edu.pl

Former staff members

Eliza Winek, PhD student

Research interests
  • mechanisms regulating preimplantation development of the mouse embryo
  • developmental and endocrine factors influencing female mouse fertility
  • signaling by activin A and TGF-β family proteins
  • the role of miRNAs in development
Current projects
  • Contractor for the NCN OPUS 17 grant 2019/33/B/NZ3/02906: „The role of activin A in the regulation of development of preimplantation mammalian embryo”
  • Principal investigator of a project funded through the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Biology Young Researchers’ Projects competition, with funding from the Ministry of Education and Science: “Analysis of the role of miR-93 in the differentiation of primitive endoderm cells via the FGF/MAPK pathway in the preimplantation mouse embryo”
Awards and Honors
  • Team Award from the Rector of the University of Warsaw (team member, 2025)
 
Publications:
ORCID iD icon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8178-7623

e.winek@student.uw.edu.pl