On November 20th, 2017 the inauguration of the 2017/2018 academic year of the PAS Ochota BioCentre PhD Programme was celebrated in the lecture hall of the Nałęcz Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering PAS. More than 400 PhD students study their degrees at six PAS institutes forming the PAS Ochota BioCentre Consortium: Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Nencki Institute.

The guests were greeted by prof. dr hab. Maria Barcikowska-Kotowicz, Director of the Mossakowski Medical Research Centre. Then Directors of Consortium awarded the best PhD theses defended in the 2016 academic year with diplomas and statuettes.

Among the honored were the following students from the Nencki Institute:

dr Monika Bijata - promotor: prof. dr hab. Jakub Włodarczyk

dr Kinga Borzęcka-Solarz - promotor: prof. dr hab. Katarzyna Kwiatkowska

dr Anna Dziewulska - promotor: prof. dr hab. Agnieszka Dobrzyń

dr Michał Kloss - promotor: prof. dr hab. Bożena Kamińska-Kaczmarek, dr Aleksandra Ellert-Miklaszewska

dr Marta Kocyk - promotor: prof. dr hab. Bożena Kamińska-Kaczmarek, dr n. med. Paweł Neuman

dr Paulina Koza – promotor: prof. dr hab. Leszek Kaczmarek

dr Bożena Kuźniewska - promotor: dr hab. Katarzyna Kalita-Bykowska

dr Krzysztof Miazga - promotor: prof. dr hab. Urszula Sławińska

dr Agnieszka Płóciennikowska - promotor: prof. dr hab. Katarzyna Kwiatkowska

dr Dorota Przybylska - promotor: prof. dr hab. Ewa Sikora, dr Grażyna Mosieniak

dr Alicja Puścian - promotor: dr hab. Ewelina Knapska

dr Aleksandra Wojtala - promotor: prof. dr hab. Mariusz Więckowski

dr Tomasz Zajkowski - promotor: dr hab. Krzysztof Nieznański

dr Paulina Sakowska - promotor: prof. dr hab. Agnieszka Chacińska

dr Łukasz Szewczyk - promotor: dr hab. Marta Wiśniewska, prof. nadzw. UW

dr Katarzyna Żybura-Broda - promotor: dr hab. n. med. Marcin Rylski, prof. nadzw. CMKP

The President of the Polish Academy of Sciences, prof. Jerzy Duszyński, who highly rated the activity of the PAS Ochota BioCentre PhD Programme, wished the doctoral students the perseverance and success in work.

Elected representatives of young doctors presented the main thesis of their dissertation. Nencki Institute was represented by dr Tomasz Zajkowski.

During the ceremony, new PhD students were welcomed, including 28 from the Nencki Institute.

The inaugural lecture entitled: "Prions and me" was delivered by prof. dr hab. n. med. Paweł P. Liberski (MU in Łodz). After the ceremony a poster session presenting the achievements of young doctors was held. In the evening PhD students and young doctors met in the "Medic" Club.

During the poster session 3 posters were awarded. The first prize went to Sara Rosińska for the presentation „Influence of CacyBP/SIP on NPM1 localization and function in nucleolar stress”

prepared by Sara Rosińska and Anna Filipek, while the second prize went to Jakub Mateusz Dzik for the presentation “Really reproducible behavioral paper” prepared by Jakub Mateusz Dzik, Alicja Puścian, Zofia Mijakowska (Harda), Katarzyna Radwańska and Szymon Łęski.