Eng. Izabela Świca is a graduate of environmental engineering at the University of Warmia and Mazury (UWM) in Olsztyn, and at the UWM Doctoral School she is preparing a thesis that deals with the use of microalgae, including in extraterrestrial conditions.

The PhD student is not limited to the use of microalgae in terrestrial conditions. If the future existence of humans beyond Earth becomes a reality, it will be necessary to provide them with food, among other things.

“Therefore, in my research I use lunar and Martian regolith simulants to enrich microalgae biomass. This means that I do not use real soil samples from the Moon or Mars, but substitutes. It is a substance that imitates the real properties that characterise the ground covering Mars or the Moon”, explains Izabela Świca.