Technos Prize Awarded to Michal Jezierski

This week final year undergraduate Michal Jezierski (2017, Biological Studies) was awarded the 2020 Technos International Prize, in the 24th annual ceremony which celebrates a student of ‘outstanding academic performance and commitment to the cause of international understanding’. 

Michal has worked closely with both UK and Polish organisations throughout his studies to bridge the gaps between different styles of research and to bring communities together. Last year, he organised an international event at Pembroke for the “From Poland with Science” series, which attracted around 150 attendees. In his 2nd year of studies, Michal was the undergraduate subject representative for Biology.  Next academic year he will take up a place on the Oxford Department of Zoology's DPhil programme.

This year, due to lockdown, the prize ceremony had to be held virtually, with the Master, Dame Lynne Brindley, and Tutorial Fellows Dr Roberto Salguero-Gomez and Professor Nick Kruger each adding their congratulations to Michal.

Dr Salguero-Gomez outlined Michal's achievements at Oxford so far: "He has an outstanding academic record, for which he has been recognised multiple times throughout his time at Pembroke. Michal has received a Pembroke Scholarship for Academic Excellence twice, in 2019 and 2020, and has also been able to accumulate Pembroke Collection Prizes no less than five times in his three years which is quite outstanding. He has also been awarded the Rueben Foundation Scholarship in recognition of first class performance in his first year.  And it is really rare for Oxford doctoral programmes to admit a student straight out of their undergrad course and yet Michal has recently received a fully funded PhD offer from the department of Zoology.”

Roberto went on: "Michal really embodies every single dimension of what it means to be a scholar and I am extremely proud of him."

Professor Kruger added: “I think this demonstrates not only your academic excellence, but your unquenchable enthusiasm for the subject but also this self-effacing humility that you have about science which makes you such an exceptional student, and it illustrates the generosity in which you share your understanding and enthusiasm of the subject.”

Michal responed with thanks to his tutors and others in College, saying: “Pembroke has allowed me to do all of the things that I have done, first of all due to excellent academic teachers I have, because they were always there to support me whenever I had any questions. They were there to talk, to guide me so that I could academically excel at Pembroke. Second of all, this prize was given to me for the multiple events I have organised that help with this international cause. But none of those events would have been able to happen if not for the support of Pembroke College. These have been possible thanks to academic support and also the Academic Director and Events Office who allow for Pembroke to be such a welcoming place.”