LIVING MATERIALS PACZESNY LAB
Team
We are using chemistry, biology, and physics mixed together to obtain a new quality of research on bio-inspired, functional nanomaterials.
Our Work
Our lab aims to establish a two-way connection between the biology and chemistry of materials. We attempt to be clever in our work to answer important questions and not to be “equipment oriented”. For team members, the work in the lab should be a way to reach scientific excellence.
Job offers
We are always looking for students who are willing to work hard on their bachelor's or master's thesis in our group. There are also open positions for internships.
News and Succeses

March 2023
Yet another paper coming from the group (fifth this year already!)
Heteroaggregation of virions and microplastics reduces the number of active bacteriophages in aqueous environments
Enkhlin Ochirbat, Rafał Zbonikowski, Anna Sulicka, Bartłomiej Bończak, Magdalena Bonarowska, Marcin Łoś, Elżbieta Malinowska, Robert Hołyst, Jan Paczesny
Journal of Environmental Quality, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20459
March 2023
New paper coming from our group!
Adaptive 2D and Pseudo-2D Systems: Molecular, Polymeric, and Colloidal Building Blocks for Tailored Complexity
by Rafał Zbonikowski, Pumza Mente, Bartłomiej Bończak and Jan Paczesny
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(5), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13050855
February 2023
With the end of the month we say "thank you" to Pumza Mente and Bartek Bonczak, who are starting work in new places. Bartek is a post doc fellow in Professor Serena Arnaboldi group in Milan, Italy. Good luck!
February 2023
Konrad Gizynski and Tomasz Andryszewski (from the Soft Matter group at IPC) are popularizing science! This time they prepared the chemical show for students.
January 2023
Pumza Mente coauthored recently published paper. Congrats!
Catalyst Design: Counter Anion Effect on Ni Nanocatalysts Anchored on Hollow Carbon Spheres
Ryan O’Connor,Joyce B. Matsoso, Victor Mashindi, Pumza Mente, Lebohang Macheli, Beatriz D. Moreno, Bryan P. Doyle, Neil J. Coville and Dean H. Barrett
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(3), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13030426 [IF= 5.08]

January 2023
Our PhD student Mateusz Wdowiak was appointed a regular member of the Polish Society of Microbiologists. PSM is a founder-member of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS), the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS), and the member of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID).
January 2023
New paper has been accepted for publication!
Congo red protects bacteriophages against UV irradiation and allows for the simultaneous use of phages and UV for membrane sterilization
Mateusz Wdowiak, Patryk A. Mierzejewski, Rafał Zbonikowski, Bartłomiej Bończaka and Jan Paczesny*
Environmental Science Water Research & Technology, 2023, DOI: 10.1039/d2ew00913g (IF=5.82)
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/ew/d2ew00913g

January 2023
We welcome Witold Adamkiewicz, PhD, in the group. Witold will work with materials and physical chemistry of dynamic systems.
December 2022
A new paper has been accepted for publication! The manuscript entitled "An Overview of Diverse Strategies To Inactivate Enterobacteriaceae-Targeting Bacteriophages" authored by Sada Raza, Mateusz Wdowiak and Jan Paczesny will be published in EcoSal Plus. This is our first paper in journal published by American Society for Microbiology.
Raza, S., Wdowiak, M., & Paczesny, J.*
EcoSal Plus, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0019-2022

December 2022
Jan Paczesny was awarded OPUS gran. The project aims to develop antiphagents that will be safe for bacteria and eukaryotic cells. The whole grant is for aorund 2.2 M PLN.
We will have PhD and post doc position open for new group members.

December 2022
Jan Paczesny visited Prus High School in Żary, Poland. I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Bolesława Prusa is a school that Janek graduated from. The meeting was to convince students that science is interesting! :)

November 2022
We are happy to announce that another paper was accepted for publication.
Gold–Oxoborate Nanocomposite Coated Orthodontic Brackets Gain Antibacterial Properties while Remaining Safe for Eukaryotic Cells
J. Lyczek,* B. Bończak, I. Krzymińska, K. Gizyński, J. Paczesny*
Journal of Biomedical Materials Research: Part B - Applied Biomaterials, accepted [IF=3.4]
October 2022
Another paper coming from the group.
Relaxation, temporal diffusion, and polarity of aromatic hydrocarbons in ionic liquid
N. O. Atamas, K. S. Yablochkova, M. M. Lazarenko & G. Taranyik
Applied Nanoscience (2022) [IF=3.67]
October 2022
With the new academic year, there are new opportunities to join lectures taught by Jan Paczesny:
"Law and ethics in research"
October 2022 - Wroclaw University of Life Sciences
November 2022 - Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS
February 2023 - Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS
"The art of public presentation"
December 2022 - Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS
January 2023 - Wroclaw University of Life Sciences
March 2023 - Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS

October 2022
Yet another paper published - a result of collaboration with group from Poznań, Poland and Kjeller, Norway!
Fabrication of 1D particle structures outside a liquid environment using electric and capillary interactions: From fundamentals to applications
Z. Rozynek, Y. Harkavyi, K. Giżyński
Materials & Design, 2022, 223, 111233 [IF=9.417]
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127522008553

October 2022
New paper - a result of collaboration with Warsaw Military University of Technology.
Optical Properties of a Tapered Optical Fiber Coated with Alkanes Doped with Fe3O4 Nanoparticles
Karol A. Stasiewicz,* Iwona Jakubowska, Joanna E. Moś, Paweł Marć, Jan Paczesny, Rafał Zbonikowski and Leszek R. Jaroszewicz
Sensors 2022, 22(20), 7801 (IF=3.847)

October 2022
We visited Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy PAS in Wroclaw. Thanks for having us and teaching us new tricks!

October 2022
After the summer internship Natalia Szczepańska and Mateusz Grotek decided to stay with us and become group members. Welcome!

September 2022
Pumza Mente, Rafał Zbonikowski, Bartek Bończak, Konrad Giżyński and Jan Paczesny attended 2022 EMRS spring meeting (19-22.09.2022). We gave talks, we showed posters and me saw a lot of inspiring research.

September 2022
New paper authored by a group member! Konrad Giżyński did a collaborative work with group of Tomasz Mazur from Cracow! Congrats!
Enhanced Assembly of Ag Nanoparticles for Surface-Independent Fabrication of Conductive Patterns
Michał Szuwarzyński, Łukasz Mazur, Mariusz Borkowski, Krzysztof Maćkosz, Konrad Giżyński, and Tomasz Mazur
ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2022 (IF=6.14)

September 2022
Great success! Sada and Bartek did a great job during the final of the Falling Walls competition. Sada received second prize! Congrats!
Read more here!
September 2022
New review paper coming from our group!
Enhancing the Stability of Bacteriophages Using Physical, Chemical, and Nano-Based Approaches: A Review
Mateusz Wdowiak†, Jan Paczesny†*, and Sada Raza
Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(9), 1936 (IF=6.5);

September 2022
Jan Paczesny attended Polish Bacteriophage symposium in Gdańsk. It was a great opportunity to talk to other phage researchers in Poland! New ideas were generated!

August 2022
Sada Raza and Bartek Bonczak are among 20 finalist of Falling Walls Lab Warsaw competition. Congrats!

August 2022
Professor Atamas moved to Vienna. But we still collaborating on number of project. We are grateful to have you in the group this year!
We also had farewell (Natasha) / welcome (Amit, Aga, Natalia and Mateusz) barbecue at the IPC PAS! :)