Professor Iza K. Radecka
Iza has an MSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Silesia, Poland completed in 1990. Within biosciences her research first focused on anatomy and histology (interactions between heavy metals and enzymatic activity in brain tissue). In 1991 she took a position as a junior research worker in the Institute of Polymer Chemistry at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Zabrze, Silesia, with a special interest in the biodegradability of different synthetic polymer blends. After one year there she decided to take a PhD researcher/lecturer post at the University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland with a special interest in microbial biotechnology concerning the production of biodegradable polymers by bacteria under different environmental conditions. She completed her PhD in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland. After that in 2000, she joined the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. Since then, her research is focused on the cost-effective synthesis of new biomaterials using bacterial biopolymers, produced from bacteria using eco-sustainable feedstock and their chemical derivatization which can transform the crude polymer into a range of highly valuable products. Her research also focuses on the application of nanoparticles for anti-cancer therapy and as antimicrobial agents in wound dressings. She has published numerous research papers in highly ranked scientific journals, authored several chapters in biotechnological books. Iza has also given a broad number of invited lectures at international conferences. She has coordinated and participated to funded research projects at the EU as well as national level in the area of biopolymers, nanoparticles and bioactive cements. Iza teaches on a wide variety of microbiology and biotechnology courses, both undergraduate and postgraduate level where she puts her knowledge and experience to good effect. Iza is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.