Excellenceair Podcast

IDUB NCU

Get ready to fly high! ✈️
Welcome aboard the Excellenceair Podcast – where science takes off! Meet brilliant minds, IDUB laureates, and passionate researchers shaping the future. Discover what drives innovation, excellence, and curiosity. Fasten your seatbelt and let’s soar through the world of science together!

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22 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 51 min
English

Episodes 22

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Wednesday · 1 hr 30 min
#23 Cognitive Turbulence: How Culture, Literature, and AI Shape Our Minds, dr hab. prof. NCU
Our today’s guest is prof. Arkadiusz Gut from the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, where he heads the Department of Cognitive Science. With a PhD in Philosophy and in Psychology, he has been one of the driving forces behind the development of cognitive science in Poland, contributing to the field through his research, academic leadership, and interdisciplinary collaborations. It’s a pleasure to have you here today!
August 17 · 44 min
#22 Chemistry on a Flight Path to Better Health, dr hab. Marta Ziegler-Borowska, prof. NCU
Our today’s quest is prof. Marta Ziegler-Borowska connected with the Faculty of Chemistry. Her highly interdisciplinary research portfolio is situated at the interface of chemistry, biomaterials, nanotechnology, biotechnology and biomedicine. As she says herself, she’s most fond of building bridges: between science and industry, different disciplines, and most importantly: people. It’s a pleasure to have you here today!
August 3 · 35 min
#21 Lights On, Bacteria Gone, dr Dorota Chełminiak-Dudkiewicz
Our today’s guest is dr Dorota Chełminiak-Dudkiewicz - connected with the Faculty of Chemistry, she’s a researcher involved in interdisciplinary healthcare-oriented research projects connecting diagnostics, therapy, and advanced biomaterials, showing how modern chemistry increasingly operates at the intersection of science and medicine.
July 20 · 49 min
#20 Invisible Allies, dr hab. Katarzyna Stadnicka, prof. NCU
Our today’s guest is prof. Katarzyna Stadnicka - professionally connected with NCU Collegium Medicum - Department of Oncology, Faculty of Health Sciences. Her research sits at the crossroads of molecular biology, microbiology, nutrition, and medicine. A recent Laureate of the OPUS 30 competition with the Project PIVOT, she investigates how probiotics, postbiotics, and other bioactive compounds influence biological processes at the molecular level, with the goal of developing innovative strategies for disease prevention and treatment. It’s a pleasure to have you here today!
July 9 · 51 min
#19 Connecting Flight: Plant & Microbe, prof. dr hab. Katarzyna Hrynkiewicz
Our today’s guest is prof. Katarzyna Hrynkiewicz - the NCU professor connected with the Faculty of Veterinary and Biological Sciences and currently the Head of the Microbiology Department. In her work she explores a world that can’t be seen, but one that plays a huge role in how plants grow, survive, and stay healthy—the world of microbes. Get ready to fly high!
July 3 · 57 min
#18 From First Words to Infinite Meanings, dr Michael Pleyer
Our guest today is dr Michael Pleyer, a linguist and researcher at the Center for Language Evolution Studies at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. His research has focused on two fundamental questions: how language evolved and how it is acquired. He studies the cognitive and social mechanisms behind the emergence of language, as well as the role of perspective-taking and pretend play in children's language development. Dr. Pleyer is currently leading an OPUS project exploring polysemy — how words develop multiple meanings and what this reveals about the evolutionary dynamics of language.
June 8 · 45 min
#17 A Quantum Flight Across Science, dr hab. Katharina Boguslawski
Our today’s guest is prof. Katharina Boguslawski, a quantum chemist, whose research combines chemistry, physics, mathematics and applied computer science. Before joining Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in 2016, she gained international research experience in Zurich and Canada, and since then she has built an impressive scientific career supported by prestigious grants, including NCN, NCBiR, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and an ERC Starting Grant. Today, she leads her own research group at the Institute of Physics at NCU, where her team works on advancing modern quantum-chemical methods.
May 25 · 50 min
#16 The Hidden Power of Meetings, dr hab. Krzysztof Celuch, prof. NCU
Our today’s guest prof. Krzysztof Celuch - a speaker, a trainer, a business consultant, an academic lecturer and an entrepreneur. His professional relationship with NCU has its roots at the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management. Dr Celuch is an academic whose career circles around meetings industry, event marketing and management. His expertise is built on knowledge in economics, business psychology, sociology, marketing and cultural studies.
May 11 · 44 min
#15 Mind Over Climate, dr Adrian Wójcik, prof. NCU
Our guest today is prof. Adrian Wójcik, whose research sits at the intersection of social psychology and environmental issues. He’s professionally connected with the Faculty’s of Philosophy and Social Sciences Institute of Psychology. His academic interests circle around the matters of the psychological roots of environmental attitudes, looking at how identity, beliefs, political orientation, and even national narcissism can shape our responses to climate change and ecological policies. Prof. Wójcik is particularly interested in how social identity influences support for — or resistance to — environmental action.
April 27 · 1 hr 9 min
#14 Innovation Above All, Dr Eng. Cezary Odrzygóźdź
Our guest today is dr. Cezary Odrzygóźdź - he holds a PhD in biological sciences, he is the president of a Foundation, which promotes education and science both locally and nationwide. As an enthusiast of science popularization, he hosts the popular science podcast “Faceci w Kitlach”. Since January 2025, he has been the head of the Center for Academic Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer at Nicolaus Copernicus University.
April 13 · 1 hr 7 min
#13 Logic, Space, and the Foundations of Reality, dr hab. Rafał Gruszczyński, prof. NCU
Let me welcome here today prof. Rafał Gruszczyński - NCU Professor connected to the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences. He’s currently working at the Department of Logic, Institute of Philosophy and specializes in logic and ontology, with main focus on research activities located in the areas of spatial reasoning. Another thing to mention is being the editor-in-chief of Logic and Logical Philosopy - a quarterly journal devoted to philosophical logic He’s a scientist whose academic record is rich, and who’s managed many projects, funded from various internal and external sources.
March 30 · 45 min
#12 From Curiosity to Career: A Life in Law and Research, dr hab. Aleksandra Kustra-Rogatka, prof. NCU
Our guest today is prof. Aleksandra Kustra-Rogatka, a researcher connected with the NCU’s Faculty of Law and Administration. She is a leading academic in the Department of Theory of Law and State, where she teaches and conducts research in constitutional law, legal theory, and the relationship between national constitutions and European Union law. Being awarded various funding opportunities and collaborating internationally, she’s a researcher with rich academic record, constantly developing her career.
March 16 · 46 min
#11 The Language Puzzle, prof. dr hab. Przemysław Żywiczyński
Our today’s guest is prof. Przmysław Żywiczyński - a scientist who’s strongly connected to the Faculty of Humanities, more specifically the Institute of Linguistics, Department of Experimental Linguistics. His scientific interests focus mostly on Evolution of human language — in particular origins of language, experimental semiotics, gesture studies and nonverbal / multimodal communication, Pragmatics & semantics, Cognitive / psycholinguistic aspects of communication and cultural evolution of communication systems. He’s an active scientist, with his academic record becoming richer and richer, with many completed and on-going projects, funded from various sources - both internal and external. It’s a pleasure to have you here!
March 2 · 41 min
#10 Literature in the Turbulence of Modernity, dr Jarosław Hetman
Our guest today is Dr Jarosław Hetman - he is connected to the NCU’s Faculty of Humanities and, more specifically, the Department of American Literature and Literary Translation. With deep expertise in contemporary American and British literature, critical theory, and the interpretation of cultural texts, Dr. Hetman brings fresh perspectives to how literature reflects—and refracts—our human experiences. Thank you very much for being our guest today!
February 16 · 47 min
#9 Relationships: The Ultimate Advantage, prof. dr hab. Aldona Glińska-Neweś
Our guest today Aldona Glińska-Neweś - a professor at the Department of Organisational Behaviour and Marketing, Institute of Management and Quality Sciences, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management. Her scientific skills and interests circle around Interpersonal Relationships and Communication; Emotional Communication; Social Influence; Cross Cultural Psychology; Group Dynamics; Work Psychology. She’s a member of numerous initiatives, still keeping her scientific career high in the air.
February 2 · 57 min
#8 Connecting Disciplines: History, Environment, and Humans. prof. dr hab. Adam Izdebski
Our guest today is prof. Adam Izdebski - a professor working at the NCU’s Interdisciplinary Center for Modern Technologies. He’s a historian and human-ecology researcher, whose academic journey is truly interdisciplinary, as it joins together the issues of history, and ecology. He’s collaborated internationally with numerous prestigious institutions and he’s a multi-time Laureate of many various grants, both domestic and international, with the ERC Synergy Grant and the project „EUROPEST” project “Understanding anew the role of pandemics in pre-industrial Europe (1300-1800 CE): history, natural science and machine learning.” being one of his greatest achievements so far.
January 19 · 46 min
#7 The Fat Side of Green Science
Our guest today is prof. Krzysztof Zienkiewicz, who is connected with the NCU’s Center for Modern Interdisciplinary Technologies. His main research focus circles around lipids & metabolism: He specializes in plant and microalgal biotechnology with particular emphasis on lipid metabolism, including how plants and algae produce and manage fats. He studies microalgae to understand and engineer lipid production — work that can have implications for biofuels.Known for his interdisciplinary and practical orientation, loads of international experience and collaborations, he has a rich scientific record thanks to grants funded both internally and externally.
January 5 · 40 min
#6 WyPSIEkarnia: Baked in Science, Served with Heart. PhD student Marta Saldat
Our today’s guest is Marta Saldat - a young researcher from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and the founder of WyPSIEkarnia, a unique startup that’s changing the way we thinkabout pet care. Scientifically, she’s focused on biotechnology, and is a Laureate of numerous student grants. She’s also a veterinary technician and is working for the NCU’s Veterinary Clinic, where she takes care of our pet friends. Let us dive into the story of Marta Saldat and WyPSIEkarnia— where science meets heart.
Dec 22, 2025 · 52 min
#5 GRINCH: How Communication Made Us Human, dr hab. Sławomir Wacewicz, prof. UMK
Our today’s guest is prof. Sławomir Wacewicz - passionate about all things language, his scientific interests circle around Evolution of Language, Embodied Communication withfocus on non-verbal communication and Trust in Language. The head of the University Center of Excellence “IMSErt – Interacting Minds, Societies, Environments” and a member of CLES - Centre for Language Evolution Studies.
Dec 8, 2025 · 35 min
#4 A Flight Through the Systems of Law. Prof. dr hab. Maciej Serowaniec
Our guest today is prof. Maciej Serowaniec - a Researcher whose work is dedicated to law, with biggest interest in constitutional law, rule of law in the EU and Public finance & governance. With collaboration-oriented work, plenty of publications and projects funded by various institutions, Prof. Serowaniec has made his scientific record rich. Being the Dean of the Faculty of Law and Administration, he’s also the academic administrator, taking care of the students, and employees, and the Faculty as a whole.

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