Young researchers at the UWr – Daria Wojtala

At the University of Wrocław, we are exceptionally appreciative not only of finalists and laureates of Olympiads and candidates who have passed their school-leaving exams, but above all of those who want to develop their interests and become ‘Young Researchers’.

Get to know Daria Wojtala, a doctoral student from the Magnetic Materials Group of the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Wrocław.

She found out about the Young Researcher 2023-2025 programme for doctoral students from information on the University of Wrocław’s website. – The competition offers support in trips to international conferences, to a foreign university or research institution, it also enables participation in an international competition, and is often the only possibility for full financing of such trips for doctoral students, which is why, without hesitation, I submitted my application both in the first and as well as in the second edition of this competition – says Daria Wojtala.

Last year, she went to Padua for four weeks to conduct experiments that were a continuation and extension of her doctoral thesis. – My stay at the University of Padua, under the supervision of prof. Valentina Gandin from the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, allowed me to improve my skills in the field of in vitro anticancer activity research of the phosphine Ir(III) and Ru(II) complexes I synthesized – says our doctoral student. – Undoubtedly, the trip contributed to the development of my skills and my research became interdisciplinary.

Additionally, thanks to the Young Researcher 2023-2025 programme, she is going to the 3rd International Conference on Noncovalent Interactions (ICNI-III) held in Serbia, Belgrade, in June.

Why did she choose UWr?

– I have always been passionate about chemistry, as a teenager I took part in the Science Festival, observing the work of chemists and admiring various experiments – says Daria. – In addition, the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Wrocław offers interesting fields of study that meet the expectations of even the most demanding students.

Her research is carried out under the supervision of dr hab. Urszula Komarnicka (supervisor), dr inż. Sandra Kozieł (assistant supervisor), and prof. dr hab. Alina Bieńko (Head of the Group).

She completed research internships not only at the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences at the University of Padua in Italy, but also at the University of Ferrara and, among others, at the Faculty of Chemistry of the Jagiellonian University. Not only is she a winner of the Young Researcher 2023-2024 Grants competition under the Initiative for Excellence – University Research (IDUB) programme, but she also received the Young Scientists Award at the 16th International Symposium on Applied Bioinorganic Chemistry conference in 2023 in Greece. And in this year’s edition of Young Talents, she was nominated for the main prize in the scientific success category!

Due to the Preludium NCN research project, she will be working at the University of Wrocław in the coming years. – But what will happen next? How will my professional career continue? I am open to all options that will allow me to gain and deepen professional experience – she reflects.

Now, however, Daria plans to focus on finishing her PhD, conducting and settling scientific research carried out under the Preludium NCN grant, as best and most accurately as possible, as well as looking for a postdoctoral internship.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed!

Read more about the scholarship programme here: https://uwr.edu.pl/en/young-researcher-or-scholarships-for-the-best/