About the Leading Author

Michał Szcześniak · Professor at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań

I am an associate professor at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (AMU), where I work at the Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology. My scientific activity focuses primarily on the bioinformatic analysis of non-coding RNA molecules, particularly long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). I develop computational methods and tools for their identification and characterization, and study their functions and evolution. I have also created dedicated online biological databases, including miRNEST, CANTATAdb, KTCNlncDB, SyntDB and ERISdb. My research also extends beyond non-coding RNA to transcriptomics and cancer epitranscriptomics, including the identification and functional characterization of m6A modifications using Oxford Nanopore sequencing. I received my PhD in biological sciences in biotechnology in 2013 and my habilitation in biological sciences in 2019, both from Adam Mickiewicz University, and became an AMU professor in 2020. In 2015–2017, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Prof. Uwe Ohler’s group at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, where I studied functional and evolutionary aspects of human lncRNAs. I have also conducted research visits at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in Bethesda, USA, and at the University of Tokyo. I have received several scientific awards and fellowships, including two START fellowships from the Foundation for Polish Science, and have led research projects funded by the Polish National Science Centre (NCN). I am a co-author of publications indexed in the Journal Citation Reports; my current research profile can be found through ORCID and Google Scholar.

Other Activities and Hobbies

Outside my academic work, I enjoy developing educational, analytical and data-driven websites and combining programming with practical data analysis. I am a co-founder of data2biology, a company providing bioinformatics services and training. I also develop the Finanse odczarowane project and its related services: Ile zostaje – net salary and taxation calculations; Kredyt czy wynajem – buying versus renting analysis; Giełda po ludzku – accessible analysis of Polish stocks; Giełda USA po ludzku – analysis of US companies; Dywidendy z USA – US dividend calculations; Kapitał początkowy – Polish pension calculations; Kod odczarowany – programming and MQL5 resources; and Zarobki po studiach – graduate earnings and employment analysis. I also run Już Umiem, a collection of educational materials for children, and Czytam Lektury, a website for reading and exploring school literature online. These projects are personal side activities and hobbies that bring together my interests in programming, data, education and the clear presentation of complex information.