Polish Science and Technology Summit at Berkeley

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Registration deadline is Oct 7th 23:59

Following the success of previous editions, this will be a unique and stimulating environment for science and technology. Our event aims to promote the work of Polish-origin scientists and entrepreneurs in the Bay Area region and create favorable conditions for establishing new and deeper relationships between Polish professionals and the multidisciplinary research community.

Speakers:

Patryk Brożek

Fudo Security

Cybersecurity

I’m a passionate entrepreneur and the co-founder of Fudo Security, a global leader in privileged access management. Since 2004, I’ve been building multiple ventures and cybersecurity products, growing Fudo from a startup into an international company that now serves more than 500 customers across 40 countries. Today, as CEO, I focus on driving innovation and global growth while building solutions that set new standards for secure digital collaboration.

John Connelly

UC Berkeley

Ukraine Situation

John Connelly is the Sidney Hellman Ehrman Chair in European History and a Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley. His most recent work, “From Peoples into Nations: A History of Eastern Europe” greatly informs the past, present, and future of Eastern Europe.

Agnieszka Czechowicz

Stanford University

Development of Innovative Non-Genotoxic Cell and Gene Therapies Through the Lens of Fanconi Anemia

Prof. Czechowicz is a physician scientist at Stanford University School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics, specializing in Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation. She is affiliated with the Stanford Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine and the Stanford Institute of Stem Cell Biology. After completing her undergraduate, medical, and PhD degrees at Stanford, she trained in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, while conducting postdoctoral research. Her lab focuses on hematopoietic stem cells, aiming to enhance their use in treating blood and immune diseases. She has pioneered research on stem cell depletion for donor engraftment and is developing therapies to eliminate chemotherapy from transplant protocols. Dr. Czechowicz is particularly interested in bone marrow failure syndromes, including Fanconi Anemia, and has led innovative gene therapy trials. She has received multiple awards for her contributions and is dedicated to mentoring future physicians and scientists. She was born in Gdansk and moved to the U.S. as a child.

Magda Gacyk

Silicon Valley Journalist

Stealing Fire Again: The Promethean Imperative in an Age of Disruption

Magda Gacyk. Journalist, Silicon Valley trend analyst, startup consultant and multilingual researcher, fluent in 6 languages. Author of " Ścigając Steve'a Jobsa. Historie Polaków w Dolinie Krzemowej" ( " Chasing Steve Jobs. Stories of Poles in Silicon Valley" and "Zabawy w Boga. Ludzie o magnetycznych palcach" ("Playing God. People With Magnetic Fingers"). A graduate from University of Warsaw and University of Gdańsk with degrees in Ibero-American Studies and Sociology, she started her career in journalism, working for national Polish TV and radio stations. Almost two decades ago she came for the first time to US as a foreign news correspondent and hasn't looked back since.

Marcin Hejka

OTB Ventures

Deep Tech Venture Capital

Marcin Hejka is an experienced venture investor, portfolio manager, and public speaker with a unique combination of deep-tech expertise and a humanist, always-curious mindset. Before co-founding OTB Ventures, Marcin spent 18 years at Intel Capital as VP, Global Investment Committee Member, and Managing Director responsible for Europe, Israel, the Middle East, Africa, and India. He was part of the European Management Team at Intel Corporation.
He has sat on the supervisory boards of several public and private companies, including two banks listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Throughout his career, he has successfully sourced, executed, and exited over 50 venture deals, including five unicorns and decacorns, through trade sales to companies such as Cisco, Google, and Microsoft, as well as IPOs on Nasdaq and NYSE.
He has a deep understanding of semiconductors sector, built upon his long relation with Intel. Marcin has carved out a niche as a highly active investor in enterprise AI and automation and cybersecurity companies.

Maksymilian Jasiak

UC Berkeley

Fiber Optic Sensing

Maksymilian Jasiak is a PhD Student in GeoSystems Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His current research with Professor Kenichi Soga focuses on Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) for lifeline infrastructure monitoring. He works to leverage Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) measurements from underground telecommunications fiber optic cables buried underneath city streets to monitor activity along pipelines and roadways. His work supports critical infrastructure security and resilience and enables large-scale urban activity monitoring.

Łukasz Kaiser

OpenAI

Learning Powerful Models: From Transformers to Reasoners and Beyond

Łukasz is a researcher at OpenAI and was previously part of the Google Brain team. He works on fundamental aspects of deep learning. He has co-invented reasoning models (o1, o3), ChatGPT and GPT4 and co-authored Transformers and the TensorFlow system. Before that, Lukasz was a tenured researcher at University Paris Diderot and worked on logic and automata theory. He received his PhD from RWTH Aachen and his MSc from University of Wrocław.

Robert Kostecki

LBNL

Advanced Rechargeable Battery Technology: A Perspective

Robert Kostecki is the Director of the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He contributes to LBNL scientific, programmatic and strategic leadership in Energy Technology, guides the formulation, development and implementation of research programs, represents the Division’s scientific programs to DOE program managers and other stakeholders, and builds relationships with other laboratories, the university community and international collaborators.
He also serves as a Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator in the Electrochemistry Group in the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division. He oversees multiple research projects focused on basic processes and fundamental phenomena that determine electrochemical performance of electrical energy storage/conversion systems and water treatment technologies. Kostecki is often recognized for his pioneering work in characterization of electrochemical interfaces and electrochemical systems engineering, which helped bridge the gap between fundamental science and applications of significant technological importance e.g., rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, photo-electrochemical reactors and desalination methods.

Łukasz Kowalski

Oracle/UC Berkeley

Business and Engineering

Luke Kowalski is recognized for his loyalty and pragmatism, but he also excels in his ability to work across disciplines. He has executed projects involving legal issues (antitrust, IP, audits, litigation), acquisitions (due diligence, integration, or divestitures), technical standards (document formats), government affairs (EU/USA trade, IP reform, repatriation), AI policies, and even managed functions like physical security, user interface design and accessibility.
He currently serves as an svp in corporate affairs at Oracle reporting to one of the CEO's directs. Before coming to Oracle, he worked for various startups in technical, design, and business roles, as well as for Netscape's Server and E commerce divisions. He holds several patents and professional certifications, serves on the W3C Advisory Committee, Java Community Process Executive Committee, INCITS Executive Board, and works as an ISO representative for US through ANSI. Luke lectures frequently at global conferences and universities. His educational background includes advanced degrees from UTA, Pratt Institute, and Columbia University. He is currently teaching at UC Berkeley's Engineering School on Mondays and pursuing a distance learning PhD at University of Birmingham in his free time, because he dislikes sleeping.

Krzysztof Nauka

Noya

Metal/metalloid powders “ugly duckling” that may turn attractive

Krzysztof Nauka is a distinguished scientist with a profound impact on technological innovation, marked by a nearly four-decade tenure at HP Labs. There, he propelled advancements across critical areas like semiconductors, nanomaterials, ICs, sensors, batteries, 3D printing, and additive manufacturing. His recent work includes contributions to atmospheric CO2 removal at Noya. He has served as an Adjunct Professor in Poland (Politechnika Wrocławska) and Sweden (Lund University). He holds 84 granted patents, has authored over 180 publications, and has engaged in scientific exchanges at Bell Labs, Toshiba, IBM Zurich, and TSMC. Originally, Krzysztof Nauka obtained a PhD in Material Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Joanna Smolinska

EU Office in SF

Can Europe lead in AI and remain true to its soul?

Joanna Smolinska is Counsellor for Digital and Deputy Head of the EU Office in San Francisco since the day it opened September 1, 2022. She focuses on AI policy and regulation, online content moderation, policies promoting digital markets openness and innovation in the context of transatlantic relations, forging cooperation with California civil society, business, academia and government.
Before coming to SF, she had worked for 15 years in the European Commission in Brussels across a wide range of policy areas. In DG CNECT, the Commission’s department responsible for EU tech policy, Joanna focused on digital and green transformation, digital services and copyright regulations, tech standardization, digital skills, blockchain, and technology start-ups/scale-ups. She was actively involved in the development of the EU Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act. Of Polish nationality, Joanna graduated from Warsaw School of Economics, holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and a Master’s Degree in European Law and Economic Analysis from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.
Joanna is also a Non-resident Fellow with the Transatlantic Leadership Program and the Digital Innovation Initiative at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and a Tech Policy Fellow of the 2024-25 cohort at UC Berkeley.

Justyna Woźniakowska

National Science Center

Science in Poland

Justyna Woźniakowska has been the Head of the International Cooperation Department at the National Science Centre since 2015. She is responsible for supervising the Centre’s international activities, including bilateral research funding programmes and multilateral cooperation initiatives, including those co-funded by Horizon Europe, the EU's framework programme for research and innovation. From 2011 until 2015, she was Deputy Director of the Centre. Prior to this, she led the International Office at the Tischner European University in Krakow for eight years and completed six months'; training at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture in 2006. She holds master's degrees in sociology from Jagiellonian University, European studies from the University of Exeter (UK) and nationalism studies from the Central European University. In 2008, she participated in the International Visitor Leadership Programme of the US State Department dedicated to higher education in the USA. During this programme, she visited 26 universities and other organisations in Washington, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Boston, and New York.

Honorary Guests

Paulina Kapuścińska

Consul General in Los Angeles

Paulina Kapuścińska was born in Warsaw and received her master's degree from the Warsaw University, Department of Geography and Regional Studies. In addition, she holds postgraduate diplomas in National Security Studies - a program jointly organized by the Warsaw University, the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw and the Academy of National Defense - as well as from the National School of Public Administration and the French École Nationale d'Administration in European Integration.
Paulina Kapuścińska is career diplomat, she began her service in administration in 1999 at the Prime Minister's Office, and was appointed a civil servant in 2001. She has more than 21 years of experience in public administration, where she worked with great dedication from a specialist position, advancing to higher levels.
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs she began her service at the end of 2001 as Chief Press Specialist for the Negotiator of the Republic of Poland with the European Union for the Polish membership in the EU. Then she was appointed as Consul for Polonia, Education and Press in Los Angeles, where she was promoted to the position of the Chief of the Consulate General in Los Angeles in 2007. She successively held the position of Director of the Press Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw. In 2012 she was appointed as Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago. She has successfully organized and implemented many cultural and professional projects.
In 2020, Paulina Kapuścińska shifted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the business sector at the Polish state development bank, BGK, as a Director of the International Relations Department. In March 2022 she joined Poland's largest company in the health sector, Pelion SA, as Director of Public Affairs at where she focused on strategic projects.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Mr. Radosław Sikorski appointed Paulina Kapuścińska Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles on August 20th, 2024.

Bogdan Klich

Chargé d'affaires of the Republic of Poland.

Mr. Bogdan Klich is the Head of Mission in the Embassy of the Republic of Poland as of 18th November 2024. He has been Senator in the Polish Parliament between 2011 and 2024. Between 2015 and 2019, he was Minority Leader of the Polish Senate. Mr. Bogdan Klich served as Poland’s Minister of Defence from 2007 to 2011 and was a member of the European Parliament.
Mr. Bogdan Klich managed the Information Department at State TV Centre in Cracow between 1990 and 1992. He then was Head of the International Centre for Development of Democracy in Krakow from 1993 to 1999 and Head of the Institute for Strategic Studies from 1999 to 2003. In 1998 and 1999, he was an Adviser to the government plenipotentiary for Poland’s accession negotiations with the EU. Mr. Klich graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Krakow Medical Academy and the Faculty of Philosophy and History at the Jagiellonian University. He was a lecturer at the Institute of European Studies at the Jagiellonian University. Mr. Klich has authored numerous publications on foreign policy and international security. In the late 1970’s and 1980’s he was active in the democratic opposition movement.

Shana Penn

V-ce Honorary Consul in San Francisco

Video Contribution

Shana is Executive Director of Taube Philanthropies and a scholar-in-residence at the Graduate Theological Union’s Center for Jewish Studies, in Berkeley. Her award-winning book, Solidarity’s Secret: The Women Who Defeated Communism in Poland (University of Michigan Press, 2005) was published in Polish in 2014 as Sekret Solidarnosci (W.A.B. Publishers). She has a Master’s degree in European Studies from Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Other books include Gender Politics and Everyday Life in Central and Eastern Europe, co-edited with Jill Massino (Palgrave USA 2009) and chapters in Beacon Book of Essays by Contemporary American Women Writers edited by Wendy Martin (Beacon Press 1996), and the Routledge Handbook of Women in Central and Eastern Europe (Routledge, 2020).

Honorary Patronage

Sponsors and Partners

Academic Patronage

Agenda

Agenda subject to adjustments.
Conference Photo

Date and Venue

October 11th 2025
Start time: TBD
Martin Luther King Jr. Building (Tilden Room 5th floor)
2495 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94720
This event is ADA accesible