Dr. Derewenda is seated in front of BioLAB program alumni in 2019.
Zygmunt Derewenda, PhD, professor emeritus in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, retired on June 30, 2026, after a distinguished career at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. One of his enduring contributions to UVA that has also impacted the greater scientific community is the BioLAB Program.
Founded in 2001, BioLAB began when Professor Derewenda invited a student from Poland to join his laboratory at UVA. Over the next two decades, that initiative grew into the largest U.S. internship program for Polish students in the life sciences, chemistry, biophysics, and medicine. More than 600 students have participated in the program, conducting research at institutions including UVA, the University of Chicago, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and UT Southwestern Medical Center. Many have gone on to earn doctoral degrees and build successful careers in academia, industry, medicine, and science policy.
For many participants, BioLAB provided a first opportunity to experience research in an international setting and to become part of a broader scientific community. The program’s success reflects not only the quality of the research opportunities it offers, but also Professor Derewenda’s commitment to mentoring young scientists. Together with his wife, Urszula, he welcomed generations of students arriving in the United States, often for the first time. Their warmth, generosity, and willingness to support students beyond the laboratory helped create a community that continues long after the internships have ended.
This year, BioLAB received special recognition as part of the exhibition 250 Years of Friendship: The Polish-American Story, organized by Polish diplomatic institutions in the United States to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States and the longstanding relationship between Poland and America. The exhibition highlights important examples of cooperation between the two countries, and BioLAB is featured in a section dedicated to educational exchange.
The exhibition is currently touring the United States and recently stopped in Los Angeles. Seeing BioLAB included alongside other milestones in Polish-American relations was a reminder of the program’s broader impact. For more than twenty years, it has connected students, researchers, and institutions on both sides of the Atlantic, creating opportunities that extend far beyond a single summer or academic year.
The influence of BioLAB can be seen in the careers of its alumni, in the collaborations that grew from those early experiences, and in the strong community that has developed around the program. As Professor Derewenda begins his next new chapter, the continued success of BioLAB reflects the vision, dedication, and generosity that made the program possible.
Story authored by Vanessa Bijak, PhD, a UVA alumna who was a 2015 BioLAB scholar in the Department of Molecular Physiology & Biological Physics, David Cafiso Lab. She continued her studies at UVA to later earn her doctorate in biochemistry. She also spent time as a post-doc in the Wladek Minor Lab.
Filed Under: Research