Adam Grzelak

Software engineer

Scientist

Science communicator


About me

I have a lifelong passion for science and the natural world. I am a curious person who enjoys learning new things, investigating scientific problems, and synthesizing my findings into words and images. As a scientist at heart, I find great satisfaction in the creative process of coding, where every challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow. Over the course of my professional career, I have worked in academia, public educational institutions, software houses, and pharmaceutical companies. I am fluent in Polish (my native language), English and Spanish. In the following sections, you can find a more detailed description of my professional experience.

I am always open to new challenges and interesting projects. If you like my profile and wish to contact me, scroll here.


Software development

During my research career, I developed a set of programming skills, which initially served me mostly as a tool for analysis of output data from quantum-mechanical calculations. As I gained more experience, I became increasingly passionate about coding itself, and in recent years, I decided to transition to software engineering as a full-time job. I am currently employed as a Python developer at Łukasiewicz Institute of Innovative Technologies, where I work on backend web applications and participate in machine learning research. My other experience in this area includes data analysis and development of machine learning models at a bioinformatics startup, as well as backend and frontend web programming at a software house.
Most important tools I am familiar with (in no particular order):
Django, Django REST Framework, FastAPI, Flask, React.js, pytest, numpy, pandas, scikit-learn, Tensorflow, matplotlib, PostgreSQL, Git, Docker, AWS (Lambda, S3, Cognito, ECR), Serverless framework.
A few examples of projects which I developed in my spare time can be found on my GitHub profile.

Chemical research

I was involved with chemistry as a subject of study and research for 15 years. In 2018 I obtained a PhD degree in chemical sciences at University of Warsaw. My research was focused on compounds of silver and their potential application as novel high-temperature superconductors. As part of Prof. Wojciech Grochala's team at University of Warsaw's Center of New Technologies, I approached this topic from a variety of angles, including photoelectron spectroscopy, high-pressure crystallography, and—in recent years—computational modelling of new hypothetical silver- and hydride-based materials. As of , I have written or contributed to 18 scientific papers, a complete list of which can be found on Google Scholar.
My personal highlights: our visionary 2020 paper in Physical Review Materials (distinguished as Editor's Choice by the journal) and a 2021 follow-up in Angewandte Chemie, describing the chemical capacitor: a proposed new type of functional material.

Science communication

Throughout my professional life, I have had many opportunities to discuss science with diverse groups of people and using different means of communication. I worked as an explainer at Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw, where I would engage in conversations with visitors of all ages in order to enhance their experience and explain scientific topics to them in an accessible manner. I have written many scientific articles for specialized journals and delivered talks at international conferences. As part of my PhD studies, I taught and assisted undergraduate students in laboratory classes. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I worked at Pfizer, where I participated in the vaccine rollout in the European Union as a medical information consultant.


Hobbies

In my spare time, I enjoy playing ultimate frisbee, travelling, sailing, and learning fun facts about the world, in particular about geography, astronomy, history and philosophy.