KAROLINA NOWAK, MSc

I obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Westminster, where my thesis project sparked a strong interest in genomics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I pursued graduate studies in Medical Genomics at London Metropolitan University, where I joined a SARS-CoV-2 proteomics project that became the focus of my MSc thesis. After completing my degree, I worked as a Teaching Laboratory Technician at King’s College London, where I was responsible for preparing, organizing, and troubleshooting molecular biology practicals for undergraduate and graduate students.

During my time at KCL, I also had the opportunity to gain hands-on research experience in Dr. Julien Bergeron’s laboratory as visiting staff member, contributing to a structural biology project that involved characterizing a synthetic protein complex using various biophysical techniques.

I am now a PhD student elucidating the structure and function of FASTK family proteins in mitochondrial RNA metabolism, using structural biology approaches such as cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM), chromatographic methods, and a range of biochemical and biophysical assays to link molecular architecture to mechanistic function. Beyond research, I serve as the lab’s ‘resident Polish person’ when there is a ‘Poland question’, help run the group’s Instagram, and keep a collection of science-themed memes that has become unexpectedly well known in the lab.