Penn Postdocs in the News: Marta Grzonka, Ph.D., awarded EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship
Penn Postdoctoral Fellow Marta Grzonka receives EMBO Fellowship to investigate centromere inheritance
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Dr. Marta Grzonka, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded a 2024 EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship to support her research in the laboratory of Michael Lampson in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences. Her fellowship project examines the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that govern centromere inheritance.
Dr. Grzonka earned her Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Cologne in 2022, where she conducted her doctoral research with Hisham Bazzi at CECAD Cologne. Her graduate work examined centriole formation and function in mouse embryos and embryonic stem cells. She previously earned a B.S. in Biology with a specialization in Experimental Biology and an M.S. in Biology with a specialization in Genetics and Experimental Biology from the University of Wroclaw in Poland.
Following her doctoral training, Dr. Grzonka continued her research at CECAD Cologne before joining Penn as a postdoctoral fellow in January 2024. At Penn, she works in the Lampson Lab, where her EMBO-supported project, “Genetic and epigenetic components of centromere inheritance,” investigates how cells establish and maintain centromeres, the chromosome regions that help ensure accurate chromosome segregation during cell division.
The EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship supports internationally mobile early-career scientists pursuing advanced research in the life sciences. The program provides up to two years of support, along with professional development opportunities and participation in the international EMBO Fellows Network.
Dr. Grzonka’s fellowship reflects both the promise of her research and Penn’s continued role as a destination for emerging scientists from around the world.
We are proud to celebrate Dr. Grzonka and her contributions to advancing research in chromosome and cell biology at Penn.