Dr Pamela Swiatlowska
Postdoctoral Research Assistant
Engineering 147, Mile End
| Supervisor: | Prof Thomas Iskratsch |
| Expertise: | Current research project is focused on studying regulation of mechanosensing in healthy and atherosclerotic vascular smooth muscle cells. This work involves number of techniques, such as mechanical stimulation (pressure, stiffness, stretch), biomechanical characterization (AFM, Nanoindentation), cellular force measurements (nanopillars, FRET tension sensors) as well as (live) super-resolution microscopy. Further expertise: fibroblast and cardiomyocyte mechanobiology from animal and human models. |
Brief Biography
Work experience
Postdoc fellow, New York University (USA) 2019-2020: project 'Investigating membrane mechanics in murine cardiomyocytes in a model of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy.'
Education
PhD, Imperial College London (UK) 2015 - 2019 : project 'Nanomechanics of cell membrane and cellular contacts in normal and failing hearts.'
MSc, University of Virginia, (USA); Intermediate Faculty of Biotechnology MUG - UG (Poland); University of Glasgow (UK) 2013 - 2015: project 'Role of Oct4 in cells expressing LysM marker gene during atherosclerosis.'
BSc, Intermediate Faculty of Biotechnology Medical University of Gdansk - University of Gdansk (Poland) 2010 - 2013
Awards
Erasmus Scholarship, Science Dean's Scholarship 2011-2014 University of Gdansk, Fulbright BioLAB Scholarship, Imperial College London PhD Scholarship, President's Award for Excellence in Research for Outstanding Research Team Imperial College London, QMUL 2022 Staff Bonus Scheme, QMUL Research IMPACT Award 2022 and numerous travel grants (10; 2017-2022)
Conference Poster Presentations
- XXIV ISHR World Congress 2022
- 10th International Workshop on Cardiomyocyte Biology Ascona 2021
- virtual 65th Annual Biophysical Meeting 2021
- virtual American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020
- ESC Heart Failure Congress, Athens, Greece 2019
- 63rd Annual Biophysical Meeting, Baltimore, USA 2019
- Heart Failure Winter Meeting, European Society of Cardiology, Switzerland 2019
- National Heart and Lung Institute Postgraduate Day London 2017, UK
- International Society for Heart Research Meeting, Hamburg 2017, Germany
- Science Polish Perspectives Conference, Oxford 2016, UK
- Cardiac Mechano-Electric Coupling and Arrhythmias Conference; Freiburg 2016, Germany
- Alternative Muscle Club Meeting, Imperial College London 2016, UK
Oral presentations
- British Cardiovascular Society joint meeting with British Atherosclerosis Society, British Heart Foundation; Manchester 2022
- Biodivision Meeting talk at SEMS QMUL, Nov 2021 ''How mechanical stimuli guide the behavior of vascular smooth muscle cells".
- 2nd International Conference Scanning Probe Microscopy for Biological Applications 2020 "Microtubular network remodeling - implications for cardiac mechanobiology"
- Invited talk at Mechanobiology Institute NUS Singapore 2019, ''MechanoSICM as a novel tool to measure transverse Young's modulus''
- Fulbright Commission BioLAB Symposium, Warsaw Poland 2019 ''Being a research scientist'
- National Heart and Lung Institute Postgraduate Day, London UK 2018, "Regulation of cardiac mechanics in the failing heart"
- NHLI Myocardial Function Symposium, London 2017, UK "Nanomechanics of membrane and cellular contacts in normal and failing heart"
- BioLAB Fulbright Commission 2015 Symposium, Charlottesville, USA "Role of Oct4 in myeloid cells expressing LysM gene during atherogenesis"
Appointments and Affiliations
- Guest Co-Editor at the Biophysical Reviews 2021-2022 (Cardiovascular Mechanobiology; Vol 15, Issue 5, Oct 2021)
- Reviewer at the Biophysical Reviews 2022
- UK Future Leaders 2022 cohort, Foundation for Science and Technology
- Early Career Researcher Advisory Board at the Centre for Predictive Medicine, QMUL
- UK Research and Innovation Early Career Research Forum Member 2022
- Early Career Researcher School of Engineering and Material Science (ECR SEMS) Representative at QMUL
-Women in Science and Engineering Committee Member at QMUL (WISE@QMUL)
-CRICK London Cell Motility Club Ambassador 2022
Engagement activities
-QMUL Festival of Communities 2022
- Fulbright BioLAB Mentoring Program Co-Founder
- Discussion Panela Speaker at the 'Postdocs Careers, Development & Culture' Queen Mary University London
- 'Biodivision PDRA Seminar Series 2022' organizer, Queen Mary University London
- Academya Webinar Speaker 2022
- 4th and 5th CRICK London Cell Motility Club Symposium session chair
- Leader of Green Lab Programme (LEAF) and Bronze Award recipient QMUL 2021-2022
- Pint of Science 2019 London Science Festival, local team organizer
- Science Day 2019 London, 3D printing demonstration
- Baltic Science Festival Poland 2011-2013, Polish Biologists Night 2013-2014 demonstrator
Postdoc fellow, New York University (USA) 2019-2020: project 'Investigating membrane mechanics in murine cardiomyocytes in a model of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy.'
Education
PhD, Imperial College London (UK) 2015 - 2019 : project 'Nanomechanics of cell membrane and cellular contacts in normal and failing hearts.'
MSc, University of Virginia, (USA); Intermediate Faculty of Biotechnology MUG - UG (Poland); University of Glasgow (UK) 2013 - 2015: project 'Role of Oct4 in cells expressing LysM marker gene during atherosclerosis.'
BSc, Intermediate Faculty of Biotechnology Medical University of Gdansk - University of Gdansk (Poland) 2010 - 2013
Awards
Erasmus Scholarship, Science Dean's Scholarship 2011-2014 University of Gdansk, Fulbright BioLAB Scholarship, Imperial College London PhD Scholarship, President's Award for Excellence in Research for Outstanding Research Team Imperial College London, QMUL 2022 Staff Bonus Scheme, QMUL Research IMPACT Award 2022 and numerous travel grants (10; 2017-2022)
Conference Poster Presentations
- XXIV ISHR World Congress 2022
- 10th International Workshop on Cardiomyocyte Biology Ascona 2021
- virtual 65th Annual Biophysical Meeting 2021
- virtual American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020
- ESC Heart Failure Congress, Athens, Greece 2019
- 63rd Annual Biophysical Meeting, Baltimore, USA 2019
- Heart Failure Winter Meeting, European Society of Cardiology, Switzerland 2019
- National Heart and Lung Institute Postgraduate Day London 2017, UK
- International Society for Heart Research Meeting, Hamburg 2017, Germany
- Science Polish Perspectives Conference, Oxford 2016, UK
- Cardiac Mechano-Electric Coupling and Arrhythmias Conference; Freiburg 2016, Germany
- Alternative Muscle Club Meeting, Imperial College London 2016, UK
Oral presentations
- British Cardiovascular Society joint meeting with British Atherosclerosis Society, British Heart Foundation; Manchester 2022
- Biodivision Meeting talk at SEMS QMUL, Nov 2021 ''How mechanical stimuli guide the behavior of vascular smooth muscle cells".
- 2nd International Conference Scanning Probe Microscopy for Biological Applications 2020 "Microtubular network remodeling - implications for cardiac mechanobiology"
- Invited talk at Mechanobiology Institute NUS Singapore 2019, ''MechanoSICM as a novel tool to measure transverse Young's modulus''
- Fulbright Commission BioLAB Symposium, Warsaw Poland 2019 ''Being a research scientist'
- National Heart and Lung Institute Postgraduate Day, London UK 2018, "Regulation of cardiac mechanics in the failing heart"
- NHLI Myocardial Function Symposium, London 2017, UK "Nanomechanics of membrane and cellular contacts in normal and failing heart"
- BioLAB Fulbright Commission 2015 Symposium, Charlottesville, USA "Role of Oct4 in myeloid cells expressing LysM gene during atherogenesis"
Appointments and Affiliations
- Guest Co-Editor at the Biophysical Reviews 2021-2022 (Cardiovascular Mechanobiology; Vol 15, Issue 5, Oct 2021)
- Reviewer at the Biophysical Reviews 2022
- UK Future Leaders 2022 cohort, Foundation for Science and Technology
- Early Career Researcher Advisory Board at the Centre for Predictive Medicine, QMUL
- UK Research and Innovation Early Career Research Forum Member 2022
- Early Career Researcher School of Engineering and Material Science (ECR SEMS) Representative at QMUL
-Women in Science and Engineering Committee Member at QMUL (WISE@QMUL)
-CRICK London Cell Motility Club Ambassador 2022
Engagement activities
-QMUL Festival of Communities 2022
- Fulbright BioLAB Mentoring Program Co-Founder
- Discussion Panela Speaker at the 'Postdocs Careers, Development & Culture' Queen Mary University London
- 'Biodivision PDRA Seminar Series 2022' organizer, Queen Mary University London
- Academya Webinar Speaker 2022
- 4th and 5th CRICK London Cell Motility Club Symposium session chair
- Leader of Green Lab Programme (LEAF) and Bronze Award recipient QMUL 2021-2022
- Pint of Science 2019 London Science Festival, local team organizer
- Science Day 2019 London, 3D printing demonstration
- Baltic Science Festival Poland 2011-2013, Polish Biologists Night 2013-2014 demonstrator