Work experience
Assistant Project Scientist,
Dept. of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry,
UC Irvine, from 2022
in. profs. Markus Ribbe’s and Yilin Hu’s groups.
- Nitrogenase mechanism, assembly, and evolution
- Protein expression and purification
- Synthetic biology approaches for heterologous protein expression
- Strain engineering and metabolic strategies for advanced metal cofactor synthesis and handling
Scientist,
SVAR Life Science,
Malmö, Sweden, 2022
- Consulting on ongoing industrial processes and troubleshooting
- Development of new bioassays.
Assistant Project Scientist,
Institute for Society & Genetics, UCLA,
2018-2021
in prof. Megan M. McEvoy’s group, researching interactions between heavy metal homeostasis and antibiotic resistance
- Evolutionary history of multidrug and metal efflux pumps
- Functional and structural investigations of a subfamily of efflux pumps
- Effects of metals on emergence of antibiotic resistance
- Interplay between metal and intercellular collaboration in the context of antibiotic resistance and survival
Postdoc/Scientist
Medical Faculty, Lund University,
2014-2018
in dr. Pontus Gourdon’s group, studies on heavy metal transporting membrane proteins.
- Membrane protein overexpression in yeasts Pichia pastoris and Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- Purification and crystallisation of membrane proteins (vapour diffusion, LCP)
- Functional in vivo and in vitro studies including heavy metal transport assays catalysed by membrane protein
- Studies of bacterial Cu-handling proteins: (over)expression, Cu-resistance assays, functional studies in reconstituted models, Cu-binding.
Postdoc,
Science Faculty, Lund University
Jun 2013-Dec 2013
in prof. Cecilia Hägerhäll’s group, follow-up on PhD studies work
- Studies on mutations in Mrp antiporter and complex I subunits with the previously developed 23Na-NMR method
Education
PhD in Biochemistry
Science Faculty, Lund University, Sweden,
2008-2013
Main courses: membrane protein crystallography, bioenergetics, optical spectroscopy of biomolecules, principles of project management
Antiporter-like protein subunits of respiratory chain complex I, PhD thesis
in prof. Cecilia Hägerhäll’s group; June 2013. Opponent: prof. Mårten Wikström, Univ. Helsinki
- Designing and optimising a method for measuring Na+ transport in vivo in Bacillus subtilis deletion strains with 23Na-NMR; showed that disruption of Mrp system leads to Na+ accumulation in cells, resulting in stress response and changed bioenergetics; Complex I subunits expressed in B. subtilis can rescue the Na-sensitive phenotype.
- Establishing a protocol for overexpression and purification of the three antiporter-like Nuo subunits and homologous Mrp antiporter subunits with a cytochrome tag; milligram amounts of stable colourful proteins produced; Na-binding properties evaluated by 23Na-NMR
- Reconstitution of purified Complex I subunits into proteoliposomes for functional studies (in collaboration with dr. Alexander Galkin, Queen’s University Belfast, UK)
- Characterisation of a pH sensitive nanoprobe, Glu3 (in collaboration with prof. Sergei Vinogradov, University of Pennsylvania, USA)
- Crystallisation of membrane subunits of complex I and Mrp antiporter (in collaboration with prof. Ulrich Brandt and dr. Volker Zickermann, Goethe-Universtität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Direct interactions between bacterial cells and electrodes, manipulation of electron transport chain proteins (heterotrophic and photosynthetic) in collaboration with prof. Lo Gorton, Lund University
- Communication between Rhodobacter capsulatus cells and electrodes mediated by an osmium redox polymer; demonstration of direct growth of bacteria on electrodes
- Studying the effect of cisplatin on direct communication efficiency between electrodes and Shewanella oneidensis, resulted in a high impact paper in Energy and Environmental Science
MSc in Chemistry (specialization: inorganic chemistry),
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland,
2003-2008
Main courses: organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, crystallography, analytical chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, spectroscopy
Light regulation of nitrogenase activity and hydrogen production by Rhodobacter sphaeroides, MSc thesis, in prof. Marek Łaniecki’s group
- Studies of ammonium content, near infrared and blue light influence on
nitrogenase-catalysed photosynthetic hydrogen production by Rhodobacter sphaeroides
Erasmus exchange studies,
Lund University, Sweden,
2006-2007
Main courses: advanced biochemistry, structural biochemistry and bioinformatics