Zofia Winnicka

Winnicka Zofia

Year the scholarship was awarded:

2025

Area of expertise

Science

She is a Biological Sciences student at the University of Oxford, focusing on molecular biology and challenges related to climate change. She is a former recipient of the ZDOLNI scholarship programme and has completed internships at leading scientific institutions in Poland as well as at Oxford, where she worked on a project investigating the fundamentals of plant immunology. As a finalist of the Vice-Chancellor’s Colloquium on Climate Change, she worked on standardising greenhouse gas emissions data, co-developing an emissions calculator for Oxford colleges. She is also a laureate of team competitions such as the BSL Entrepreneurial Challenge, the BIEA STEM Competition, and the CourtWatch Oxford Debate Tournament. Through her work, she aims to support scientific development, practical climate solutions, and academic cooperation between Poland and the United Kingdom.

With the support of her scholarship, she continues her studies at the University of Oxford, where she is engaged in further research projects. She will undertake an internship in the Department of Biology, working on a tool for analysing the efficiency of plant enzymes, and is also developing a project on the use of biomimetics in the design of water harvesting systems. She is actively involved in sustainability and climate transition initiatives – serving as the Environment and Ethics representative at Magdalen College and co-developing an emissions calculator during her work in the environmental department of Oxford University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums. She is also a member of the Lincoln College Choir.

In parallel, she is engaged in social and educational activities. She founded a climbing club at Magdalen College, creating a space for integration and shared passion development, and runs “orchard” – weekly Socratic-style meetings dedicated to personal projects and relationship building. She volunteers with the Obieg Twórczy programme at the Splot Słoneczny Foundation, serves as a mentor at Our Future Foundation, and conducts educational workshops for schools.