Zuzanna Kabacińska, PhD, dreams of establishing the first EPR dating laboratory in Poland. The grant from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange, awarded to her, is the first step towards fulfilling this wish.
Zuzanna Kabacińska is one of the scientists skilled at combining the natural sciences with the humanities. She graduated in physics with a specialisation in nanotechnology, completed her subjects in geology and obtained a bachelor's degree in archaeology. This was followed by a PhD in physics as part of a project conducted partially at the NanoBioMedical Centre.
Soon, exciting new opportunities opened up for the young researcher. For several years, she went to Romania, participating in two ERC grants acquired by Prof. Alida Timar-Gabor from Babeș and Bolyaia University in Cluj-Napoca (Transylvania). The first grant was related to the dating of loess sediments by EPR, electron paramagnetic resonance, and luminescence methods. - "I received solid training and learned how a dating laboratory should be organised," says the scientist.
It is worth mentioning that no EPR dating laboratory has been established in Poland. Dr Kabacinska's dream is to establish one at AMU. This aim may become a reality - the first step is a grant that the researcher acquired from the NAWA Polish Returns programme. Her project received the maximum number of points.
"The programme is targeted at Polish scientists who have spent time abroad and want to return home, making it no simple matter. I was eligible for it in the young scientist category because in June it has been seven years since I defended my PhD. It coincided perfectly with the position at the AMU Institute of Geology, where a Geochronology Laboratory has recently been established, headed by Prof. Danuta Michalska. My project fits perfectly with the laboratory's mission," believes Dr Kabacinska.
Within her project, Dr Kabacinska focuses, among other things, on refining dating methods at the level of sample preparation, the measurements themselves and their interpretation, to obtain the most accurate results reflecting the age of the materials studied.
Read more at Uniwersyteckie.pl: Dr Zuzanna Kabacińska. EPR dating is a must (The article is in Polish)
Photo by Władysław Gardasz
