Łucja Kowalewska – research profile
Head of the Department of Plant Anatomy and Cytology
Institute of Plant Experimental Biology and Biotechnology
Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
RESEARCH PROFILE of Łucja Kowalewska
Łucja Kowalewska is a plant cell biologist specializing in plastid membrane dynamics and structural biology. Pioneer in applying advanced microscopy, computational methods, and biophysical principles to understand organelle nanomorphology. Her research bridges plant biology with mathematics and physics, creating innovative methodologies for analyzing complex biological membrane systems, with applications in photosynthesis optimization and biomimetic design. Recognized internationally for work on cubic membrane configurations in plant plastids.
EDUCATION
2024 | Habilitation in Biological Sciences
Discipline Scientific Council for Biological Sciences, University of Warsaw
Achievement title: “Structural dynamics of plastid inner membranes– experimental approach and development of new research methods”
2015 | Doctorate in Biological Sciences (with distinction, 3rd degree individual award by the Rector)
Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
Dissertation: “Chloroplast biogenesis – structural, molecular and functional level of organellum organization”
Supervisor: Prof. dr. hab. Agnieszka Mostowska
2009 | Master’s in Biotechnology, specializing in Molecular Biology (with distinction)
Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
Thesis: “Methodology of identification and localization of chloroplast lipoxygenase under chilling stress conditions”
2007 | Bachelor’s in Biotechnology (with distinction)
Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
Thesis: “The role of signaling molecules in programmed cell death in plants”
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
09.2024–present | Head of the Department of Plant Anatomy and Cytology
Institute of Plant Experimental Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
10.2015–present | Assistant Professor
Department of Plant Anatomy and Cytology, Institute of Plant Experimental Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
10.2013–09.2015 | Assistant
Department of Plant Anatomy and Cytology, Institute of Plant Experimental Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
2009–2015 | Doctoral Researcher
Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Visiting Scientist Position
05.2019–06.2019 | University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Department of Food Science (Prof. Jacob J.K. Kirkensgaard) and Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (Prof. Poul E. Jensen)
Invited International Research Visits
- 2024 | Institute of Plant Sciences – Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, France
- 2023 | University of Copenhagen, Department of Food Science, Denmark
- 2022 | Institut für Mathematik, Universität Potsdam, Germany
- 2021 | Université du Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- 2019 | Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria
- 2017 | University of Copenhagen, PLEN, Denmark
- 2016 | Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Germany
RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS
Key Research Contributions
- Pioneered 3D visualization techniques for studying plastid membrane dynamics
- Discovered and characterized novel cubic membrane configurations in plant plastids
- Developed innovative computational methods for analyzing plastid membrane nanomorphology
- Elucidated the role of lipid and pigment composition in thylakoid membrane organization
- Established links between membrane geometry and photosynthetic function
Selected High-Impact Publications (*corresponding author)
- Wójtowicz, J., Mazur, R., Jakubauskas, D., et al. & Kowalewska, Ł.* (2025). Shrink or expand? Just relax! Bidirectional grana structural dynamics as early light-induced regulator of photosynthesis. New Phytologist. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70175
Breakthrough findings linking membrane structural dynamics to photosynthetic regulation - Bukat, A., Bukowicki, M., Bykowski, M., et al. & Kowalewska, Ł.* (2025). GRANA: Accelerating Chloroplast Grana Nanomorphology Analysis with Hybrid Intelligence. Plant Physiology, accepted for publication 21.04.2025
Novel computational method implemented in software that transforms grana structure analysis - Hain, T. M., Bykowski, M., Saba, M., Evans, M. E., Schröder-Turk, G. E., & Kowalewska, Ł.* (2022). SPIRE-a software tool for bicontinuous phase recognition: application for plastid cubic membranes. Plant Physiology, 188(1), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiab476
Interdisciplinary work introducing mathematical approaches to plant membrane biology - Mazur, R., Mostowska, A., & Kowalewska, Ł.* (2021). How to Measure Grana – Ultrastructural Features of Thylakoid Membranes of Plant Chloroplasts. Journal of Experimental Botany, 12, 756009. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.756009
Methodological paper establishing standardized approaches to chloroplast membrane analysis - Sandoval-Ibáñez, O., Sharma, A., Bykowski, M., et al., Kowalewska, Ł.*, & Pribil, M.* (2021). Curvature thylakoid 1 proteins modulate prolamellar body morphology and promote organized thylakoid biogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(42), e2113934118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2113934118
Published in top-tier journal, identifying key proteins controlling thylakoid morphology - Bykowski, M., Mazur, R., Wójtowicz, J., Suski, S., Garstka, M., Mostowska, A., & Kowalewska, Ł.* (2021). Too rigid to fold: Carotenoid-dependent decrease in thylakoid fluidity hampers the formation of chloroplast grana. Plant Physiology, 185(1), 210–227. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaa009
Mechanistic insights connecting membrane biophysics to chloroplast development - Mazur, R., Mostowska, A., Szach, J., Gieczewska, K., Wójtowicz, J., Bednarska, K., Garstka, M., & Kowalewska, Ł.* (2019). Galactolipid deficiency disturbs spatial arrangement of the thylakoid network in Arabidopsis thaliana plants. Journal of Experimental Botany, 70(18), 4689–4704. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erz219
Key paper demonstrating the role of lipid composition in thylakoid structural organization - Kowalewska, Ł., Mazur, R., Suski, S., Garstka, M., & Mostowska, A. (2016). Three-Dimensional Visualization of the Tubular-Lamellar Transformation of the Internal Plastid Membrane Network during Runner Bean Chloroplast Biogenesis. The Plant Cell, 28(4), 875–891. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.15.01053
Landmark paper in leading plant journal establishing 3D visualization methodology
Complete Publication Record
- 23 peer-reviewed research articles
- 2 monography chapters
- 3 review articles in Polish
Patents
- Patent application P.442029, Composition containing siderophores produced by the Pseudomonas H12B strain, the use of siderophores produced by this strain, and the method of producing a composition containing siderophores
Applications in sustainable agriculture and plant growth promotion - Patent application P.450244, Medium for producing a composition containing siderophores
Industrial applications for efficient production of plant-beneficial compounds
RESEARCH FUNDING
As Principal Investigator
- 2024–2027 | The formation of the Prolamellar body: where biology meets geometry
NCN and DFG, OPUS-LAP Grant No. 2022/47/I/NZ3/00498
International interdisciplinary collaborative project with German partners (DE PI M. Evans) - 2021–2024 | Formation of cubic membrane arrangements in chloroplasts of angiosperms
NCN, SONATA Grant No. 2019/35/D/NZ3/03904
Pioneering work on novel membrane configurations in chloroplasts - 2024–2025 | To be, or not to be: The Puzzling Presence of PsaA Protein in Etiolated Seedlings of Angiosperms
NCN PRELUDIUM Grant No. 2023/49/N/NZ3/01212
Project Supervisor for PI mgr Anna Węgrzyn, University of Warsaw
As Co-Investigator
- 2021–2023 | NCBiR, LIDER Grant No. 0051/L-11/2019 (PI: Dr. Klaudia Dębiec-Andrzejewska)
- 2017–2021 | NCN, SONATA Grant No. 2016/23/D/NZ3/01276 (PI: Dr. Radosław Mazur)
- 2015–2018 | NCN, OPUS Grant No. 2014/13/B/NZ3/00413 (PI: Prof. Agnieszka Mostowska)
- 2011–2014 | NCN, OPUS Grant No. 2011/01/B/NZ8/00052 (PI: Dr. Beata Karasnodębska-Ostręga)
- 2010–2013 | Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Grant No. N303 530438 (PI: Prof. Agnieszka Mostowska)
Networking Projects
- 2023–2027 | European Curvature and Biology Network (CA22153)
COST European Cooperation in Science and Technology, EU Funds
Vice-Chair of the Action
HONORS AND AWARDS
- 2021 | Team Award of the Rector of the University of Warsaw for outstanding scientific publication with significant impact (Team Leader)
- 2020 | Individual Distinction of the Rector of the University of Warsaw for scientific achievements
- 2019 | Team Award of the Rector of the University of Warsaw for research achievements (Team Leader)
- 2016 | Team Award of the Rector of the University of Warsaw for scientific achievements (Team Member)
- 2012 | Team Award of the Rector of the University of Warsaw for scientific achievements (Team Member)
Conference Awards
- Best Poster Award at The 17th International Congress on Photosynthesis Research (2016, Maastricht, Netherlands)
- Best Poster Award at Microscopy Conference (2013, Regensburg, Germany)
- Best Poster Award at Plant Biology Congress (2012, Freiburg, Germany)
ACADEMIC SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP
Editorial Roles
- Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group) – Editorial Board Member (Plants section) from July 2022
Scientific Society Membership
- Polish Society of Experimental Plant Biology – Secretary (2024–present)
- American Society of Plant Biologists – Member (2020–2021)
University Membership and Leadership Positions
- Chair of the Council of the Institute of Experimental Plant Biology and Biotechnology (2024–present)
- Member of the Scientific Discipline Council – Biological Sciences, University of Warsaw (2021–present)
- Scientific Awards Committee
- Committee for Employee Evaluation Criteria
- Committee for Young Researchers’ Projects
- Committee for Science Faculty’s Policy
Expert and Review Service
- Member of expert panels for Excellence Initiative, Research University program (2022–present)
- Qualification team member of the Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences (2021–2022)
- Reviewer for top journals including Nature Communications, Plant Journal, Plant Physiology
- Reviewer for doctoral dissertation (University of Copenhagen)
- Reviewer for Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) grant
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND ORGANIZATION
Plenary and Invited Lectures
- Gyroid is everywhere: Alan Schoen 100th Anniversary (2024, Kindai University, Japan)
- APS March Meeting (2024, American Physical Society, Minneapolis, USA)
- Looping Networks Meetings (2024, Université Paris Cité, Online seminar series)
- 2022 Spring Lecture Series at Center of Desert Agriculture (2022, KAUST, Saudi Arabia)
- CurvoBio2021 Scientific Workshop (2021, Max Planck Institut, Germany)
- CurvoBio2020 (2020, Max Planck Institut, Germany)
- 3rd Congress of Polish Biosciences BIO2018 (2018, Gdańsk, Poland)
- Mini-symposium on Lipid-protein Mesophases (2019, Wenzhou Institute, UCAS, China)
Selected Contributing Talks
- Kowalewska Łucja, Węgrzyn A., Wójtowicz J., Bykowski M., Bukat A., Kwapiszewska K., Mazur R., Cubic membranes of plastids – identification and pathways of their structural transformations using gyroid as an example, XXIX Lubelskie Biophysics Workshop (2024, Poland)
- Węgrzyn A., Wójtowicz J., Bykowski M., Bukat A., Mazur R., Kowalewska Łucja, Double-gyroid cubic membrane – a new thylakoid arrangement of fully developed chloroplasts, 11th Conference Polish Society of Experimental Plant Biology (2023, Poland)
- Kowalewska Łucja, Double-gyroid cubic membrane configuration in fully developed chloroplasts of Arabidopsis thaliana, Chloroplast Biology 2023 (2023, ETH Zürich, Switzerland)
- Kowalewska Łucja, Bednarska K., Jakubauskas D., Pribil M., Garstka M., Mostowska A., The role of grana margin components in the formation of the helical connections of grana- stroma thylakoids, Microscopy Conference 2017 (2017, European Microscopy Society, Switzerland)
Conference Organization
- CURVOBIO2024 – Organizing Committee Member, International Conference of the EuroCurvoBioNet COST Action
- Biologia eksperymentalna roślin w Polsce – Organizer, Polish Society of Experimental Plant Biology
- 12th PSEPB Conference – Organizing Committee Member, Polish Society of Experimental Plant Biology
TEACHING AND MENTORSHIP
Teaching
- International PhD Courses:
- “Geometry and Topology in Contemporary Material Science” (University of Copenhagen, 2017)
- “Self-assembly of biomolecules and soft materials” (University of Copenhagen, 2019)
- “Principles of Electron Microscopy” (Polish Academy of Sciences, 2023)
- University Courses (Coordinator/Instructor):
- Developmental Biology and Anatomy of Plants (Coordinator)
- Cell Biology
- Modern Biology
- Plants and Environmental Stress
- Photosynthesis – Molecular and Structural Basis
- Fundamentals of Organismal and Environmental Biology
- Professional Development Workshops:
- “How to think about habilitation?” for young female researchers, University of Warsaw (2024-2025)
Mentorship
- Ph.D. Supervision: 2 students (1 defended with honors April 2025, 1 ongoing)
- Assistant Ph.D. Supervision: 1 student (defended with honors January 2022)
- M.Sc. Thesis Supervision: 5 students
- B.Sc. Thesis Supervision: 7 students
- Mentor in the IDUB program for young female researchers and educators (2025–present)
SCIENCE OUTREACH
- Public Science Events: Night of Biologists, Science Festival, Fascination of Plants Day
- Educational Outreach: Workshops on Plant Embryology and Anatomy for International Biology Olympiad preparation (2015, 2016, 2018)
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH IMPACT
My research has established new methodologies at the interface of biology, physics, and mathematics, creating computational tools (SPIRE, GRANA) that are used internationally for membrane structure analysis. My studies on cubic membrane configurations in chloroplasts contribute to understanding plant structural biology by connecting geometric principles to biological function.
I maintain active collaborations with biologists, physicists, and mathematicians from leading European and global research centers, including Max Planck Institute, University of Copenhagen, University of Potsdam, Murdoch University, Paris-Saclay University, and CNRS. These collaborations have contributed to publications spanning different fields and helped develop new methodological approaches.
As Vice-Chair of the European Curvature and Biology Network, I contribute to connecting researchers across disciplines in this emerging field, facilitating dialogue between life sciences, physics, and mathematics to better understand biological membrane organization.