Agata Patyczek

I am a PhD researcher interested in healthy ageing and how our brains can stay healthy across life. My research focuses on the autonomic nervous system, which helps regulate everyday bodily functions such as heart rate, breathing, and digestion. I study how changes in this system during ageing may be linked to brain structure, brain function, and the different ways brain health develops from person to person.

I conduct my research at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig.

Alongside my research, I am active in science communication. I founded and lead Science Streets, where I developed the concept, secured funding, built collaborations, and coordinate the project from idea to implementation. I work with scientists, illustrators, and partners to bring research into public spaces through comics that are engaging, accessible, and scientifically grounded.

Through Science Streets, I want to bring science into everyday public life: to tram stops, streets, and daily routes through the city. For me, Science Streets is about making science easier to meet, easier to question, and easier to talk about.