Anna Wójcik, PhD from the Institute of Biology, Biotechnology, and Environmental Protection has been awarded the 2025–2026 Fulbright STEM Impact Award. This prestigious distinction, awarded by the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission, enables the implementation of specialised research projects at leading research centres in the United States.
Anna Wójcik, PhD will carry out the project ‘Bridging Regeneration: a comparative approach to cell fate reprogramming in plants using fluorescent reporters and imaging tools’. The research will be conducted in July 2026 at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), in the team of Alexandra ‘Jazz’ Dickinson, PhD.
The main goal of the project is to explore the mechanisms of plant cell identity changes during regeneration and somatic embryogenesis in the Arabidopsis thaliana model. During her internship, Anna Wójcik, PhD will focus on investigating the role of the transcription factor WOX5, utilising advanced in vivo imaging techniques to track the dynamics of these processes in real time.
A visit to Alexandra Dickinson, PhD’s laboratory is not only a chance to conduct innovative research, but also an excellent opportunity to acquire unique methodological competences and strengthen international scientific cooperation between the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Silesia and a leading American research centre.
The results of the STEM Impact Award 2025–2026 call can be found on the Fulbright Poland website.
Anna Wójcik, PhD will focus on studying the role of the transcription factor WOX5 | private archive of Anna Wójcik, PhD
Anna Wójcik, PhD | private archive