Biography
Michal is a tenure-track scientist at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland, specializing in instrumentation development for time-resolved serial protein crystallography at synchrotrons and X-ray free electron lasers. His research bridges physics and structural biology, with a focus on sample delivery and crystallography automation. He has held research fellowships and postdoctoral positions at PSI, contributing innovations such as acoustic levitation-based pipelines and levitated thin-film supports for diffraction studies. In 2024, he undertook a Swiss National Science Foundation-funded research stay at Max IV Laboratory in Sweden, advancing kilohertz-rate serial crystallography methods. He holds a PhD in Experimental Physics from the University of Edinburgh, where he explored high-pressure ultrasonic techniques in ferromagnetic superconductors, and a First-Class MA (Hons) in Philosophy and Physics.
Scientific Research
Michal conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of experimental physics, structural biology, and X-ray science. His work focuses on advancing time-resolved serial protein crystallography techniques at synchrotrons and X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), with a strong emphasis on novel sample delivery methods—including acoustic levitation, micro-structured fixed targets, and high viscosity extruders. He has led the development of instrumentation enabling high-throughput and time-resolved studies of dynamic biomolecular processes, contributing key insights into protein-ligand interactions, receptor dynamics, and radiation damage modeling.
Technical Expertise
• Instrumentation development for time-resolved protein crystallography
• Beamline and sample environment development (synchrotrons and XFELs) for protein crystallography: fixed targets and viscous jets
• Spectroscopy techniques: absorption and Raman
• Ultrasonic techniques: speed of sound measurements, on-demand sample delivery and acoustic levitation
• Protein dynamics with: laser activation and in-situ rapid mixing