Ever since I was a kid, I always imagined to become a fearless explorer, naturally science was the obvious career path for me. I originally graduated from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences with a degree in Biotechnology. During my studies, I was an active member of the lab of Jacek Kuznicki at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, where I was first exposed to neuroscience research. Instantly, I fell in love with it and then moved to Germany to join the Fast Track PhD Program at the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences. During my time at the Max Planck Society, I delved into the realm of developmental neuroscience with Nils Brose and Hiroshi Kawabe. Our collaborative work spearheaded the exploration of ubiquitination in the nervous system. Ever since, it became clear to me that fine-tuning of cellular proteome is the sine qua non for proper brain development. In 2016, I moved to Berlin to join the lab of Victor Tarabykin to marry the neuroscience with molecular pathways regulating proteostasis. In our interdisciplinary work with Matthew Kraushar, we have demonstrated that on par with degradation, brain development heavily relies on protein translation regulation. In 2022, I became a Proteostasis Group leader at the Charité University Hospital, where my work is currently supported by Fritz Thyssen Foundation and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. I run my group as an advocate of scientific excellence, diversity and inclusion. Outside of science, I enjoy art, travelling, reading, languages, and creative writing.

The Ambrozkiewicz Lab investigates the fundaments of brain development. We are especially passionate about the sources of cellular diversity in the cerebral cortex, evolutionarily the newest addition to our brain. Our group studies how protein synthesis and degradation orchestrate each and every milestone of neuronal circuit assembly. We utilize in vivo DNA delivery technologies like in utero electroporation and pulse labeling of isochronic cohorts of cells that allow to reconstruct different genetic scenarios in mouse models of human neurological diseases, like microcephaly, cortical dysplasia, autism spectrum disorder, or intellectual disability. To dissect the molecular, cellular and systemic aspects of brain development, we employ an interdisciplinary and highly collaborative approach, which bridges thorough in vivo phenotyping with state-of-the-art biochemical assays, genetic reporter mouse lines, deep tissue imaging and high-throughput proteomics. In particular, we study how ubiquitin, other ubiquitin-like modifiers, and protein synthesis modulators orchestrate cortical assembly. Our main goal is to resolve proteostasis in the developing brain on a cellular level, an objective jointly tackled through multidisciplinary collaborations with excellent scientists. Not only will this offer unprecedented insights into the modus operandi of brain development, but also into the ever-changing molecular landscapes in successive cohorts of neuronal lineages.