Magdalena Płecha

Magdalena Płecha

Magdalena Płecha is a researcher at the University of Warsaw, affiliated with the Department of Eukaryotic Microorganisms and Molecular Biology. Her work focuses on microbial genomics, transcriptomics, and evolutionary processes in eukaryotes. Key research areas include mitochondrial genome evolution, intron processing mechanisms in euglenids, and the application of microbial consortia in food production (e.g., dry-aged beef biostarters).

• Education & Training:
• Internship at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS (2008–2009)
• Visiting Research Scholar at University of California, Irvine (2013)
• Exchange Scholar at University of Oslo (2015)

Research Interests: Combining genomic and ecological approaches to study microbial diversity, evolution of phototrophy in eukaryotes, and conservation genetics of endangered species (e.g., sturgeon, bowhead whales, seagrasses). Her lab develops novel methods for analyzing non-model organisms, including euglenids and ancient DNA samples.

Recent Research Trends: Publications emphasize applied microbiology (food biotechnology) alongside fundamental evolutionary studies. Recent work explores fungal-bacterial interactions in meat aging and genetic markers for sturgeon conservation.

• Awards:
  • First Prize, Open Science Project Proposal (#NGSchool2017)
  • ESF Short Visit Travel Grant (2014)

Grants & Leadership: Led projects on biostarter development (NCBiR), evolution of phototrophy (EMBO Grant), and euglenid intron studies (Opus 10/11 grants). Collaborates internationally with institutions in Norway, the US, and across Poland.

Labs & Teams: Active in the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, contributing to molecular biology infrastructure and scientific communication initiatives through blogs (bioalternatywa) and media partnerships (Radio Czwórka, Świat Nauki).