In December 2020, the final decision was made regarding an open competition for the position of head of the research laboratory - Group Leader 2019. The winners are dr. Adam Kłosin i dr. Tomasz Wypych.

The winners were selected through a 2-step recruitment procedure. In the first step, the recruitment committee, chaired by Prof. Maria Jolanta Rędowicz, selected 7 candidates from 38 applicants. The candidates were then asked to present their achievements and research plans at the Institute forum. They also had individual meetings with Institute’s group leaders selected by themselves as well as with the members of recruitment committee.

Dr. Adam Kłosin is a cell biologist and geneticist interested in understanding the various mechanism of gene regulation in eukaryotes. He graduated from an international Bachelor program “Job Creation Oriented Biotechnology”, in Perugia, Italy, with a focus on plant biotechnology and molecular farming. He obtained a Master’s degree in Molecular Bioengineering at the Technical University of Dresden in Germany where he studied purified membrane proteins using single-molecule force spectroscopy. Afterwards, Dr. Kłosin moved to Barcelona and in 2016 finished his PhD in the group of Prof. Ben Lehner at the Centre for Genomic Regulation, where he studied mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance in a nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. He then moved to Dresden to train in the arts of biological phase separation in the laboratory of Prof. Tony Hyman at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics.

In his research, Dr. Kłosin applies a variety of biochemical and biophysical methods to understand various aspects of gene regulation such as transcriptional initiation and control of protein expression variability. His most recent work demonstrates a very effective mechanism for biological noise reduction in mammalian cells based on compartmentalization of a protein via liquid-liquid phase separation. His newly established group at the Nencki Institute will combine biochemical approaches and functional studies in mammalian cells and nematodes to study the organization of transcription during development of an organism and in response to environmental stresses.

Dr. Tomasz Wypych received his Ph.D. in 2016 from the University of Bern, Switzerland carrying out an experimental project at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Bellinzona, Switzerland. He completed his first post-doctoral training at Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland, and the second at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He has published in renowned scientific journals, such as Nature Immunology, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Trends in Immunology, or Mucosal Immunology.

Dr. Wypych’s research focuses on finding novel gut microbiota-derived metabolites with immunomodulatory properties. Microbial metabolites are released into circulation in the intestines, providing a communication route between the gut and distal body sites. As natural products, they constitute particularly desirable yet largely undiscovered therapeutic targets. His newly established group at the Nencki Institute will explore this untapped resource with the aim to harness microbial metabolites for human health benefits.