Dr Agata Chotera-Ouda is a postdoctoral researcher at the International Centre for Research on Innovative Bio-based Materials (ICRI-BioM) at the Lodz University of Technology, Poland. Her current work focuses on developing supramolecular polymer systems for photoactive devices. She earned her PhD in 2019 from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, under the supervision of Prof. Gonen Ashkenasy, studying self-assembling peptide conjugates. Broadly, she is interested in how molecular structure and interactions shape function in complex organic materials.

 

Through her own experience, she has become aware of many of the challenges of academic life, from the uncertainty of securing a tenure-track position to the added difficulties of building a career outside major academic hubs. She hopes to see greater support for mothers (and caregivers in general), first-generation students, and those navigating mobility barriers.

 

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family, especially her two sons, as well as cooking, baking, hiking, and listening to classic Polish rock.