Paulina Nowak
My PhD project is focused on mTOR complex 2 signalling and its interaction with the plasma membrane. I combine genetic, biochemical and biophysical approaches to study how membrane stresses, such as tension and lipid packing defects, impact cellular signalling pathways. These interactions are particularly interesting in the context of mTOR, as it is the main regulator of cellular growth and metabolism, and its dysregulation leads to cancer and other diseases.
I started my PhD in September 2018. Before that, I obtained my MSc in Biophysics at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland, where I worked in the group of Prof. Pyrc on the internalisation of human respiratory viruses to the host cell. I also worked in the group of Prof. Miaczynska at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Poland, on the role of ESCRT proteins in cancer biology.