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Start Scholarships for our students and doctoral students

21 05 2026

Six students and doctoral students from the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, have been awarded scholarships in the 4th edition of the Start Scholarships programme, granted by the Rector of the University of Warsaw.

In the Start Scholarship for Athletes category, the scholarships were awarded to:

  • Lea Courtellemont
  • Antoni Rygiel
  • Hanna Wyszomierska

The Start Scholarship for Athletes is intended for individuals with outstanding sports achievements, including those who have achieved a scored position at the Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships, or Polish Championships.

In the Start Scholarship for Doctoral Students category, the awardees include doctoral students carrying out their projects at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw:

  • MSc Julia Rydz, who is carrying out her doctoral research at the Institute of Bioengineering under the supervision of Prof. Łukasz Drewniak, PhD, DSc
  • MSc Weronika Baranowska, who is carrying out her doctoral research at the Institute of Ecology under the supervision of Robert Mysłajek, DSc Eng., University Professor
  • MSc Szymon Pukos, who is carrying out his doctoral research at the Institute of Ecology under the supervision of Prof. Piotr Dawidowicz, PhD, DSc

The Start Scholarship for Doctoral Students is intended for individuals beginning their education at a doctoral school who achieved some of the highest results in the admission process.

In the 4th edition of the programme, a total of 255 scholarships were awarded at the University of Warsaw. They were granted to 136 people in the Start Scholarship for Olympiad Participants category, 61 people in the Start Scholarship for Athletes category, and 58 people in the Start Scholarship for Doctoral Students category.

The scholarship is awarded for a period of 12 months and paid as a one-time grant. The programme is intended for people beginning their education at the University of Warsaw: first-year students of first-cycle, second-cycle, or long-cycle Master’s degree programmes, as well as first-year doctoral students at doctoral schools.

In the coming days, we will be introducing our scholarship recipients.

Congratulations to all the awardees and we wish you continued success!

Photo. Mirosław Kaźmierczak

 

MSc Julia Rydz, recipient of the “Start Scholarship for Doctoral Candidates”, is carrying out her doctoral research at the Laboratory of Agricultural and Industrial Microbiology, Institute of Bioengineering, University of Warsaw.

Her doctoral dissertation, entitled “Development of dynamic microbial fertilizers (DMFs) for integrated soil bioremediation and crop biofortification: From field adaptation to industrial-scale biopreparation”, is being prepared under the supervision of Prof. Łukasz Drewniak, DSc, and Dr Namrata Joshi.

As part of her doctoral research, Julia is working on the development of dynamic microbial fertilizers that can simultaneously support soil bioremediation and improve crop quality. Her research focuses on designing and testing innovative biopreparations based on microbial consortia capable of supporting the regeneration of soils contaminated, among others, with pesticides, as well as stimulating plant growth. The aim of the project is to move from adaptation and field studies towards the development of solutions that can be applied on an industrial scale.

Julia’s most important scientific achievements include:

  • participation in research projects funded from national and European sources, including TEAM-NET BIOGLOBE, Horizon Europe, OPUS26, New Ideas 3B and SONATA BIS 10;
  • receiving a Laboratory of Ideas grant from the University of Warsaw Incubator for a project popularising microbiology through agar art;
  • cooperation with the applied and industrial sector, including a project on the stabilisation of soils contaminated with heavy metals and an internship at Bhumi, a University of Warsaw spin-off company.

In addition, Julia is actively involved in science popularisation and organisational activities, including the Night of Biologists and the Science Picnic, as well as in student scientific societies at the University of Warsaw.

 

MSc Weronika Baranowska, recipient of the “Start Scholarship for Doctoral Candidates”, is carrying out her doctoral research under the supervision of Dr hab. Eng. Robert Mysłajek, Prof. UW, and Dr hab. Dries Kuijper, Prof. IBS PAN.

Her doctoral dissertation, entitled “Impact of the invasive alien mesocarnivore, raccoon (Procyon lotor), on native species under the pressure of wolves after two decades of invasion”, concerns the impact of the invasive alien species, the raccoon, on native animal species under the pressure of wolves.

As part of her doctoral research, Weronika studies the diet of the raccoon and its impact on native animal species in the “Ujście Warty” National Park. She also experimentally tests the raccoon’s response to the simulated presence of wolves in the environment. By analysing the diet of wolves occurring in the same area, she investigates whether cases of wolf predation on raccoons occur.

The raccoon has been present in this area for more than 20 years, and the availability of data on its diet from the beginning of the invasion makes it possible to assess changes in its ecological role in the wetland ecosystem after two decades of its presence and in the context of the return of an apex predator, the wolf.

Weronika’s most important scientific achievements include:

  • participation in the SONATA BIS 10, OPUS 20 and OPUS 28 research projects, as well as in monitoring the populations of the great tit (Parus major) and the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) along an urbanisation gradient in Warsaw;
  • receiving the Rector’s scholarship in the second year of her master’s studies;
  • awards for presentations at student conferences.

Weronika is also the co-author of three scientific articles published in renowned scientific journals:

  • Nowak, S., Baranowska, W., Szewczyk, M., Witek, M., Całus, I., Figura, M., Warda, M., Łyczko, S., Łyczko, A., Bartoszewicz, M., Mysłajek, R.W. Discarded carrion of poultry lures wolves to farms. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 72(1), 2 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-025-02036-w
  • Baranowska, W., Bartoszewicz, M., Nowak, S., Stępniak, M., Kwiatkowska, I., Mysłajek, R. W. Low contribution of livestock in the grey wolf diet in the area with high availability of free-ranging cattle and horses. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 71, 48 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-025-01926-3
  • Nowak, S., Tomczak, P., Kraśkiewicz, A., Więckowski, J., Tołkacz, K., Baranowska, W., Kasprzak, A. and Mysłajek, R.W. Wolf diet in the Notecka Forest, western Poland. Wildlife Biology, 2024: e01224 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/wlb3.01224

In addition, Weronika was involved in science communication and organisational activities, delivering popular science lectures, taking part in the Night of Biologists, and serving as a board member of the “Jajo” Ornithological Society in the 2023/2024 academic year.

 

MSc Szymon Pukos, recipient of the “Start Scholarship for Doctoral Candidates”, is carrying out his doctoral research under the supervision of Prof. Piotr Dawidowicz, DSc, and assistant supervisor Dr Tomasz Brzeziński.

His doctoral dissertation, entitled “Chronic toxicity of chemical warfare agents to Daphnia magna”, concerns the assessment of the long-term effects of chemical warfare agents and their degradation products present in Baltic Sea sediments on aquatic organisms.

As part of his doctoral research, Szymon studies the chronic toxicity of sulphur- and arsenic-containing compounds originating from dumped chemical weapons, with particular emphasis on Daphnia magna as a model ecotoxicological organism. The project includes the analysis of toxicity thresholds, bioaccumulation and genotoxicity of these compounds, which will help to better understand their long-term impact on marine ecosystems.

Szymon’s most important scientific achievements include:

  • the Professor Marian Gieysztor Second-Degree Award granted by the Polish Hydrobiological Society;
  • first prize for an oral presentation at the National Scientific Conference EkoSTUDENT ’22.

Szymon is also the co-author of four scientific articles published in renowned scientific journals:

  • Pukos, S., Maszczyk, P., Dąbrowski, K., Zebrowski, M. L., & Babkiewicz, E. (2023). The effect of planktivorous fish on the vertical flux of polystyrene microplastics. The European Zoological Journal, 90(1), 401–413.
  • Zebrowski, M. L., Babkiewicz, E., Błażejewska, A., Pukos, S., Wawrzeńczak, J., Wilczynski, W., … & Maszczyk, P. (2022). The effect of microplastics on the interspecific competition of Daphnia. Environmental Pollution, 313, 120121.
  • Maszczyk, P., Krajewski, K., Leniowski, K., Pukos, S., Wawrzeńczak, J., Wilczynski, W., … & Babkiewicz, E. (2024). Temperature and hypoxia-driven shifts in Daphnia interspecific competition. Limnology and Oceanography, 69(3), 576–588.
  • Wilczynski, W., Babkiewicz, E., Pukos, S., Wawrzeńczak, J., Zebrowski, M. L., Banasiak, Ł., … & Maszczyk, P. (2022). The effects of hypoxia on threshold food concentrations in different Daphnia species. Water, 14(20), 3213.