Success of a FCH doctoral student at a conference in Poland

A professional look at polymers through the eyes of microbiology caught the attention of the international jury. Doctoral student Pavlína Guziurová received an award for her scientific poster at the Baltic Biomat – 2nd Baltic Symposium on Polymer and (Bio)Materials Science, held in Szczecin, Poland. She was recognized for her innovative approach to studying the degradation of biopolymers using bacteria isolated from the Baltic Sea.

“I was invited to the conference by Professor El Fray from the West Pomeranian University of Technology, where I completed an internship during my master’s studies. We still collaborate a bit, so I didn’t want to miss the opportunity – to meet former colleagues, deepen my knowledge of polymer engineering, and see how other materials institutes operate from a biotechnologist’s perspective,” says Pavlína Guziurová.

The topic of her poster was titled “Bio-Survivor: Who Does It Better – Biobased Polymers or Microbial Consortia of the Baltic Sea?” It focused on characterizing a bacterial consortium isolated from the Baltic Sea coast and examining its ability to degrade biobased polymers. She also studied how the properties of these materials change during the degradation process.

“The jury appreciated a completely different perspective on material testing – combining microbiology with environmental impact assessment. The conference mainly focused on medical applications and synthesis, so microbial degradation turned out to be a truly original topic.”

Pavlína admits she didn’t expect the award: “It was a big surprise for me because I felt a bit out of place at the conference. Although my research deals with polymers and their properties, I expected the jury to be more interested in studies focused on applications and polymer processing. I was pleasantly surprised that others showed interest in the microbiological and environmental perspective. It was encouraging to see that even experts primarily focused on synthesis and applications think about what happens to these materials after disposal and whether they are truly environmentally friendly.”

In the future, Pavlína would like to continue researching marine environments, focusing particularly on the release of microparticles, their properties, and their impact on surrounding ecosystems. The next stage of her research, however, will be directed more toward polymer degradation in soil and the study of microplastic effects on biodiversity, as part of a larger research project.

Congratulations to Pavlína on her outstanding achievement, and thank you for representing our faculty in such an inspiring way!

Published	2025-10-09
Link	https://www.fch.vut.cz/en//f81551/d305342