Prof. Monika M. Kaczmarek has been appointed the new director of the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn. She will begin her four-year term in January 2025. The scientist – a native of Olsztyn – has been associated with the Institute for many years.

Until now, Prof. Monika M. Kaczmarek has headed the Laboratory of Molecular Biology. Her versatile research interests – often at the borderline of different disciplines – mainly focus on uncovering molecular mechanisms of offspring-mother interactions during pregnancy and in the postnatal period. She also leads projects in oncology, cell biology and entomology.

Prof. Kaczmarek, an Olsztyn resident since birth, is a graduate of the IV High School in Olsztyn named after Maria Skłodowska-Curie and the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, where she graduated in 2001 with a degree in biotechnology engineering.

She obtained further degrees and titles in 2004 (PhD under the supervision of Prof. Adam J. Zięcik), 2010 (habilitation) and 2018 (Professor). In addition, from 2013 to 2017 she worked as a professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, combining this with her activities at the Institute. She also gained experience during numerous scientific internships, including in Germany and the USA.

Professor Monika M. Kaczmarek is the winner of many prestigious awards and scholarships, including the Foundation for Polish Science, the Polish-American Fulbright Commission, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Hertie. She was also honoured by the residents of Olsztyn, whose votes placed her in the Top 10 Women of Success in Warmia and Mazury.

She combines her scientific activity along with expertise work and mentoring of young researchers. From 2017 to 2022, she served on the Council of the Polish-American Fulbright Commission, and from 2020 to 2024 she was a member of the Council of the National Science Centre (NCN). She is also co-author of the NCN report on how women and men function in science, published in 2022.

Prof. Kaczmarek’s scientific output includes dozens of publications in renowned scientific journals (e.g. FASEB Journal, Cell Communication and Signaling Molecular and Cellular Proteomics). She has given many lectures in Poland and abroad, including the USA, Germany, Israel and Taiwan. She also has extensive experience in presenting research results outside academia (e.g. TEDx, EIT Food & Futurelearn MOOC, University of Children, European Researchers’ Night).