Katarzyna Chwalenia

Juel-Jensen Clarendon Scholarship

Joining us from: Nysa, Poland

DPhil Paediatrics (2020)

Kasia is a graduate of Jagiellonian University in Poland with a background in biology and biochemistry. She’s an alumna of Fulbright Poland BioLab programme which allowed her to work as a graduate researcher at University of Virginia in USA. Wishing to continue academic research she moved to Oxford in 2018 to work first, as a research assistant and then, a DPhil student in Wood Lab.

For several years now, Kasia has been working on neuromuscular disorders. She first got interested in the field during master’s programme where she investigated molecular aspects of Duchenne muscular dystrophy progression. Now, as a DPhil student, she’s further investigating mechanisms and novel therapeutic strategies for the disease. On a side, Kasia is a member of Polish SMA Foundation responsible mainly for science communication.

St Cross was Kasia’s first choice as a college. She really valued its graduate, international community. The Scholarship from St Cross College turned her aspirations to pursue a DPhil degree and evolve as a researcher into reality. She appreciates that being an Oxford student comes with many great opportunities. Kasia wants to take advantage of the available funding to accelerate research and create positive impact with her data. Besides science, Kasia is very keen on participating in college and Oxford societies, meeting interesting people, exchanging ideas and networking. She wishes to further engage in science communication and hopes to get involved more in non-profit organisations and charities.