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Dr. Anna Niedzwiecka, PhD ā€™23, doesnā€™t just want to make the world a better place through chemistry ā€” she wants to make chemistry itself more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable.

Niedzwieckaā€™s love for the field began in an undergraduate organic chemistry class ā€” a challenging subject often regarded as a stumbling block. Niedzwiecka, however, displayed a natural affinity for it, and was intrigued by the creative potential of the moleculesā€™ endless combinations. Changing her studies to focus on chemistry, her graduate journey led her to UCalgaryā€™s PhD program, which she began in 2020.

At UCalgary, Niedzwiecka continued to excel in her studies and research, working with Dr. Chang-Chun Lingā€™s lab on a project to develop novel antibiotics for use against drug-resistant bacteria.

ā€œBecause bacteria become resistant to antibiotics so quickly, many large companies donā€™t focus much in this research area anymore, so the work has to be done in smaller labs,ā€ she explains. She worked on the project throughout her PhD, officially convocating in the fall of 2023.

Now working as a MITACS Postdoctoral Fellow, Niedzwieckaā€™s talents quickly found a new focus just down the hall with Dr. Todd Sutherland, PhD. Together, theyā€™ve partnered with Livestock Water Recycling (LWR), an innovative company reclaiming wastewater from agricultural processes. Through leading-edge organic chemistry research, Niedzwiecka is helping LWR make its operations greener and more sustainable.

While the projects she works on may change, Niedzwieckaā€™s passion for inclusive chemistry remains the same. Coming to Canada from Poland at age six, she saw first-hand the challenges many immigrants face. From language barriers to financial difficulties to a lack of connections, she empathizes with international students, and especially women, working in the field.

ā€œHaving a sense of belonging is important,ā€ she says. ā€œI wanted to help provide that for others.ā€

As a PhD student, Niedzwiecka was a leader in championing inclusivity: she worked with the graduate labour union, helped international students integrate, and recorded nearly a dozen podcast episodes focused on women and immigrants in chemistry. Her contributions have significantly advanced the departmentā€™s sense of equity and inclusivity, says Department Head Belinda Heyne.

Whatā€™s next for Niedzwiecka? She wants to dedicate her career to sustainable chemistry.

ā€œThere are a lot of things we didnā€™t know in the ā€˜60s and ā€˜70s. We made a lot of mistakes, and the chemical industry rightly had a bad reputation for pollution. But we can change that ā€” there are so many ways to make chemistry greener, more sustainable, and more friendly to the planet. Thatā€™s what I want to spend my life working on.ā€