The ERA Postdoctoral Fellowships are part of a European Research Area project funded within the Horizon Europe Programme. The grant covers 1-3 years of postdoctoral work in a similar fashion to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, but with a dedicated budget to support researchers in host organizations from Widening Countries.
Dr. Dominika Kwaśna received an ERA Fellowship to carry out the project “Identification and characterization of cellular deurmylases” in the Glatt Lab.
Thanks to the grant, Dominika has been provided with excellent conditions at the Małopolska Center of Biotechnology, and more specifically in the Glatt Lab, to conduct research with the support of high-class investigators and a grant value of €140K.
Her research will focus on the search for a group of enzymes reversing one of the evolutionarily oldest protein modifications, urmylation.
The Glatt Lab has recently managed to recapitulate urmylation for various targets in vitro and characterize the underlying molecular principles, including its fundamental role in oxidative stress protection. In Dominika’s project, she will focus on developing specific active probes reacting with a targeted group of enzymes in order to understand the mechanisms for the reversed reaction of urmylation, i.e. deurmylation. The captured proteins will be identified by means of mass spectrometry, and further research will concentrate on understanding the mechanism of their functioning and the role they play in cells.
ERA projects make a positive impact for both the awarded researcher and the hosting organization by favoring an increase of research and transferable skills and giving a new approach to R&D through interdisciplinary, intersectorial and international experiences, which in turn improves the fellows’ employability and career prospects in and outside of academia. It also enhances the global visibility and reputation of the participating organizations in Widening Countries and sets a solid foundation for a more robust R&D capacity and a strong network of scientific peers and research centers for collaboration and knowledge transfer, also with a motivation on science communication for the general public.
Edited by: Dr. A. Flores-Ibarra
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
EU contribution: 139 953,60 EUR
Programme: HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 11. Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area
Funding call: HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-TALENTS-02
Funding period: 1st July 2022 – 30th June 2024
ERA Consolidator Grant- View News
