KATARZYNA SZAFRAN, PhD

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

I am a molecular biologist with experience in daily work with bacterial and eukaryotic expression systems as well as all steps of recombinant protein production and purification. In Bandyra group I also investigate the protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions in vivo.

I graduated in biotechnology from the University of Lodz (BSc) and University of Warsaw (MSc). During my studies, I took the opportunity to undertake several internships and participate in the Erasmus+ programme at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), the University of Perugia (Italy) and MedImmune Ltd (UK). These experiences allowed me to gain insight into various methods and branches of molecular biology. I decided to specialise in protein science. I find it fascinating how precise those tiny molecular machines can be. I carried out my PhD in Prof. Matthias Bochtler’s group at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw. I focused on modification-dependent restriction endonucleases and other methylation-specific proteins. I performed activity assays to examine their interactions with DNA and obtained co-crystal structures of proteins in complex with DNA.

Outside science, I love spending time with animals and I ‘ve been fostering cats since 2020.