Dr. Lidia Błaszczyk | Network Science | Research Excellence Award

Dr. Lidia Błaszczyk is a distinguished Professor at the Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences (IPG PAS), Poznań, where she leads the Plant Microbiomics Team and has built an eminent career in agricultural sciences with deep specialization in plant–microorganism interactions. Her research focuses on the diversity, transmission, and ecological roles of microorganisms inhabiting rhizosphere, phyllosphere and endosphere tissues of plants, as well as the morphological, anatomical, physiological and molecular responses of plants to microbiome fluctuations. She has made major contributions to understanding epigenetic mechanisms-including DNA methylation, lncRNA, microRNA and histone modifications-in the multidirectional interactions of wheat with pathogenic and symbiotic fungi, while also characterizing Trichoderma fungi and selecting endogenous microorganisms for plant growth biostimulation and biological control of fungal diseases. Since joining IPG PAS in 2003, she has progressed from Assistant to Assistant Professor and ultimately to Professor and Team Head, earning her Habilitation in 2017 with research on species diversity and antagonistic activity of Polish Trichoderma strains, following her Ph.D. on leaf rust resistance genes in wheat. Dr. Błaszczyk’s scientific expertise spans advanced molecular biology techniques, next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics and diagnostics of plant fungal diseases, and her leadership extends to supervising Ph.D. students, delivering academic lectures, reviewing national and international research projects, and serving as a panel member for FCT-the Portuguese public R&D funding agency.