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Mrs. Agata Kołodziejczyk | Gravitational biology | Best Researcher Award

Faculty of Space Technologies | AGH University of Krakow | Poland

Dr. Agata Maria Kołodziejczyk (born 18 March 1981, Kraków, Poland) is a neuroscientist and space biologist specializing in bioastronautics, space analog mission design, and human adaptation to extreme environments. She holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stockholm University (2011) and is currently an Assistant Professor and head of the Bioastronautics Laboratory at the Space Technology Centre, AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. Her interdisciplinary expertise combines biology, neuroscience, astrobiology, and space engineering, enriched by advanced training at the European Space Agency (ESA) in satellite technologies, planetary sciences, robotics, and life support systems. As a biomimetics expert in ESA’s Advanced Concepts Team, she contributed to the Athena Project, Moon Village Workshops, and ESA Open Days. Dr. Kołodziejczyk is the founder and director of the Analog Astronaut Training Center and the initiator of Poland’s first analog research bases for lunar and Martian mission simulations, including the Lunares base in Piła. She has managed international collaborations and coordinated numerous stratospheric and analog missions, training over 380 participants in space and extreme-environment research. Her scientific contributions include the discovery of an internal eyelid in insect eyes, development of sunlight simulators, design of modulated-gravity research tools, and creation of ecological biomaterials for space habitats. A recipient of numerous awards—including the Artur Rojszczak Scientific Award, multiple Global Space Balloon Challenge prizes, the ESLAB Young Scientist Award, the Golden Copernicus Medal, the Aldrin Foundation’s Home on the Moon Award, and the 2024 Amicus Humanum Grand Prix—she is widely recognized for advancing human spaceflight preparedness and sustainability in space exploration. As an expert in the International Astronautical Federation’s Space Habitats Committee, Vice-President of the Hevelianum Advisory Council, and former member of the UNIVERSEH Advisory Council, she actively promotes scientific education, international cooperation, and public engagement in space science.

Profiles:  Google Scholar | Scopus | ORCID 

Featured Publications

Kamiński, K., Jarosz, M., Grudzień, J., Pawlik, J., Zastawnik, F., Pandyra, P., & Kołodziejczyk, A. M. (2020). Hydrogel bacterial cellulose: A path to improved materials for new eco-friendly textiles. Cellulose, 27(9), 5353–5365. Cited by 168

Kołodziejczyk, A., Sun, X., Meinertzhagen, I. A., & Nässel, D. R. (2008). Glutamate, GABA and acetylcholine signaling components in the lamina of the Drosophila visual system. PLoS ONE, 3(5), e2110. Cited by 161

Enell, L., Hamasaka, Y., Kołodziejczyk, A., & Nässel, D. R. (2007). γ‐Aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling components in Drosophila: Immunocytochemical localization of GABAB receptors in relation to the GABAA receptor subunit. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 505(1), 18–31. Cited by 140

Gmeiner, F., Kołodziejczyk, A., Yoshii, T., Rieger, D., Nässel, D. R., & Helfrich-Förster, C. (2013). GABAB receptors play an essential role in maintaining sleep during the second half of the night in Drosophila melanogaster. Journal of Experimental Biology, 216(20), 3837–3843. Cited by 71

Schlacht, I. L., Foing, B., Bannova, O., Blok, F., Mangeot, A., Nebergall, K., Ono, A., & Kołodziejczyk, A. (2016). Space analog survey: Review of existing and new proposal of space habitats with Earth applications. 46th International Conference on Environmental Systems. Cited by 37

Dr. Agata Maria Kołodziejczyk’s pioneering research bridges neuroscience, bioastronautics, and sustainable biomaterials, advancing human readiness for long-duration space missions and eco-friendly innovations on Earth. Her leadership in analog space habitats and biofabrication technologies drives global progress toward sustainable space exploration and circular bioeconomy solutions.

Agata Kołodziejczyk | Gravitational biology | Best Researcher Award

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