Dorota Paczesniak
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dorotdesigns.bsky.social
Dorota Paczesniak
@dorotdesigns.bsky.social
2.1K followers 2.1K following 210 posts
Scientific illustrator, biologist (PhD)
🇵🇱 in 🇫🇮
Drawing to explain and inspire
Commissions open: DM

Visual design portfolio:
https://www.behance.net/dorotdesigns
she/her
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dorotdesigns.bsky.social
Dorota Paczesniak @dorotdesigns.bsky.social · Jan 13
Hello #PortfolioDay 🐡 I’m a scientific illustrator with a PhD in biology and research experience in ecology and evolution. My work includes infographics, illustrations, learning materials, and branding

I’m open to commissions and/or a full-time job in communications or educational design
A photo of a book open on a page showing illustrations related to colour theory. From "The Communicating Scientist" by Olle Bergman, Sarang Park, and Joanna Bagniewska, with illustrations by Dorota Paczesniak A complex figure with a digital illustration and text boxes. Shows soil cross-section and a plant with above-ground and below-ground parts visible. The plant has four stalks: one with a bud, flower, and fruit, and one with brown and dried leaves that are falling off. This is to signal the main theme of the paper, i.e. phenology. The text boxes are divided into two main categories: above-ground and below-ground and briefly explain the difference between these two environments in resource gradients, plant–soil functionality, and coupling to photosynthesis. Morris, K., & Nair, R. (2025). Below the leaves: Integrating above- and below-ground phenology for earth-system predictability. Functional Ecology, 00, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70057 A photo of a leaflet open to show the first and the last page. This is an infographic for the Conservation Genetics Workshop titled „Types of genetic markers: What can they reveal?” The first page features an illustration of the three levels of biodiversity: genes, species and ecosystems. The last page has an info box about open and FAIR data. Citation: Buser CN, Weber AAT, Feulner PGD, Richman S, Fischer MC, Grossen C, Naciri Y, Paczesniak D, Paerli R, Reutimann O, Tschan J, Widmer A & Gugerli F. (2025). Types of genetic markers: What can they reveal? (Conservation Genetics Workshop, Infographic 1). Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. https://doi.org/10.55419/wsl:40663 An infographic titled: “Tree breeding - from wild to genetically improved forests”. There are four coloured panels with illustrations and diagrams, and grey text boxes surrounding them. The panels depict 1. Wild forest 2. Breeding 3. Mass propagation 4. Cultivated forest Developed by Luke (Natural Resources Institute Finland) and the University of Helsinki. Graphic design: Dorota Paczesniak
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
I recently worked with @amarques.bsky.social to make illustrations and finalize figures for three scientific publications focusing on the evolution and function of holocentric chromosomes

I can also help you illustrate your research with effective figures, graphical abstracts, and infographics 🧪🐡
A scientific illustration showing the life cycle of a plant Rhynchospora tenuis Figure caption: Life cycle of Rhynchospora tenuis (i.e. PECP-48 genotype) under achiasmatic meiosis. Schematic representation of the R. tenuis life cycle (2n = 4). Both male and female meiosis occur without crossovers (achiasmatic inverted meiosis). Male gametogenesis is asymmetric, yielding a single functional sperm nucleus and non-Mendelian segregation. Fertilisation restores the diploid state with intact haplotypes, but only heterozygous seeds develop into viable embryos, ensuring faithful restoration of the highly heterozygous parental genome each generation. Figure and caption from: bioRxiv 2026.01.17.700054; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.17.700054
January 27, 2026 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
minyaaa.bsky.social
Asked my Intro Plant Bio students to make Valentine's day plant meme using what they learned in class so far, and dang, it gives me SO MUCH joy seeing all the submissions.
Some of my favs here: #valentinesday #ib103 #iamabotanist #plantjoy @botsocamerica.bsky.social l @plantteaching.bsky.social
text says "hold me like marchantia holds water", the pic is a lecture slide show marchantia archegoniophore holding water text says "my love for you is as abundant as rubisco", with a protein structure of rubisco text says "my love for you is liek apical meristems.. it keeps on growing", pic shows shoot and root apical meristem text says "call me a xylem cell, because i would die for you"
February 14, 2026 at 3:41 PM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
#DarwinDay is celebrating how Darwin’s scientific work, perseverance and intellectual bravery made biology the scientific field we know today, united through the concept of #evolution 🧪🐡
A comic-style portrait of Charles Darwin dreaming about the tree of life Illustration by Dorota Paczesniak
February 12, 2026 at 8:43 PM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
Reposting to the science feed 🧪
jotlovell.bsky.social John Lovell @jotlovell.bsky.social · 5d
I'm super excited to share that this article was published today in Science! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

All made possible by the fantastic group of donors, volunteers and scientists at The American Chestnut Foundation (tacf.org), HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, and our collaborators.
February 12, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
taylorlabgroup.bsky.social
Happy #DarwinDay 🧬🌿! To celebrate, why not share a story about #evolution with a #FutureScientist? My book, Little Changes, is a fun bedtime story for young readers to explore how small changes shape the living world.
littlestories.co.uk/little-chang...
#ScienceForKids #STEMBooks
Little Changes
an introduction to evolution Click on the image below, to read the story. Meet the Rinkidinks. They live together in one large happy family, carefree and untroubled by the rest of the world. Until …
littlestories.co.uk
February 12, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
doctorzen.net
In 2018, Ilja Van Braeckel created a font based on Charles Darwin's handwriting for #DarwinDay. It was based on 12,000 pictures of Darwin's original manuscripts!

Link rot happened, and the original files are missing. I have put it up again here: drive.google.com/file/d/14Kcn...

Happy Darwin Day!
Sample of Ilja Van Braeckel's Darwin handwriting font.
February 12, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
evokeproject.bsky.social
Today we celebrate Darwin Day! 🎉
Today is not just about celebrating Darwin, but about how evolutionary biology helps us address today’s challenges.
Evolution is not only about the past. It’s a way of thinking for building more sustainable futures.
How are you marking Darwin Day?
Darwin Day, February 12th 2026, EvoKE Anticipate evolution to protect human health Pathogens and cancer cells evolve rapidly. Evolutionary biology helps us design health interventions, from antibiotics to cancer therapies, that anticipate evolutionary responses, slowing resistance instead of accelerating it. Design food systems that work with evolution Pests and pathogens adapt quickly to uniform crops and intensive practices. Evolutionary thinking supports diversity-based and adaptive farming strategies that reduce evolutionary arms races and increase long-term food security. Protect evolutionary potential in a changing world Species and ecosystems respond to climate change through evolutionary and ecological processes that unfold over time. Evolutionary biology highlights the importance of intraspecific biodiversity and helps identify which populations hold higher adaptive potential, and informs management and conservation plans to support resilience.
February 12, 2026 at 9:56 AM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
Celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science! 🧪 Some of the amazing scientists that shaped Evolutionary Biology: Barbara McClintock, Jane Goodall, Rosalind Franklin… I’m also thinking about my wonderful academic mentors: @maurineneiman.bsky.social @pyhatanja.bsky.social
evokeproject.bsky.social EvoKE @evokeproject.bsky.social · 6d
Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 🎉
We’re celebrating by highlighting women who have shaped evolutionary biology.
Who are the women scientists that inspire you?
#WomenInScience #February11 #EvolutionaryBiology #Feminism #EvoKE
February 11, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
alaskanime.bsky.social
Reposted with alt text for people with screen readers - this is a welcome departure from how certain large organizations are handling revelations that high-profile members associated with and accepted money from Epstein and his organization, _AFTER 2008_ when he was convicted for soliciting a minor.
announcement from Dinocon: DINOCON We at DinoCon take the safety of our attendees, speakers, and staff very seriously. As a result of the release of half of the Epstein files, it has come to light that a select number of scientists, authors, and researchers relevant to the field of palaeontology allegedly engaged in correspondence with members of the Epstein organisation after the conviction of Jeffrey Epstein. We want to state that all respective individuals are banned from all of our events. Additionally, we find it deplorable that some established palaeontological organisations are not taking firm action to protect their members in light of these allegations. As such, executive committee members from organisations that are not issuing public bans to these individuals are also banned from our events. We do not tolerate those who allow this behaviour to go unchallenged within our community.
February 9, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
gcbias.bsky.social
Excited for this. Teaching popgen is one of my favourite parts of my job and I've wondered about doing an online version of the class for sometime. Teaming up with @jrossibarra.bsky.social to do this is wonderful.
jrossibarra.bsky.social Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra @jrossibarra.bsky.social · 8d
Fun news! @gcbias.bsky.social and I are teaching a 2-week online population genetics workshop this summer to raise money for the Center for Population Biology at UC Davis. We're trying to gauge interest -- please fill this out if you might be interested! And please share broadly!
Davis Summer Population Genomics Program
Want to learn population genetics? Please fill out this form to indicate your potential interest in a 2-week intensive online summer population genetics course taught by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra and Graham...
docs.google.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:04 PM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
I agree, owls are really great. Which one is your favourite? #SuperbOwl 🦉🐡
Four species of European owls (sizes not to scale). Top left: eagle owl (Bubo bubo); bottom left: tawny owl (Strix aluco); top right: barn owl (Tyto alba); bottom right: snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus)
February 8, 2026 at 9:12 PM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
Reposting for the science feed 🧪: Maize vs. human diversity 🌾
jrossibarra.bsky.social Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra @jrossibarra.bsky.social · 12d
New paper! From Sam Snodgrass and @genomeofforrest.bsky.social, w/ @druncie.bsky.social, @gcbias.bsky.social, and a collaboration with Andres Moreno and @santiagogmm.bsky.social. Can we quantify the impact of humans on maize dispersal?

Plant yourself in a comfy chair and lend me your ear:

1/10
www.biorxiv.org
February 6, 2026 at 6:08 AM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
michalis-averof.bsky.social
Just discovered the wonderful covers of 'Genes to Cells', the journal of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan @mbsj-official.bsky.social – absolutely beautiful!

here some examples inspired by mitosis, CRISPR, the DNA helix, and plant pigments
February 4, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
albertocairo.com
The Open Visualization Academy (OVA) IS LIVE!
openvisualizationacademy.org

Thread follows #dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization
Screenshot of the OVA website, showing all courses
January 30, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
vaginamuseum.bsky.social
From weird posts on salamander sex to teaching generations the proper names for the gynaecological anatomy, the Vagina Museum is free. We're supported by donations from eager beavers like you. There's just 24 hours left on our fundraising appeal - help push us over the edge www.gofundme.com/f/btscc2
Bluesky flagged the image thumbnail from a charity fundraising page as “adult content” (it was not). This is a placeholder so you'll see this post in a world of digital censorship. We're honestly really annoyed we have to do this. Help us educate through this hostile climate.
January 30, 2026 at 2:23 PM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
I recently worked with @amarques.bsky.social to make illustrations and finalize figures for three scientific publications focusing on the evolution and function of holocentric chromosomes

I can also help you illustrate your research with effective figures, graphical abstracts, and infographics 🧪🐡
A scientific illustration showing the life cycle of a plant Rhynchospora tenuis Figure caption: Life cycle of Rhynchospora tenuis (i.e. PECP-48 genotype) under achiasmatic meiosis. Schematic representation of the R. tenuis life cycle (2n = 4). Both male and female meiosis occur without crossovers (achiasmatic inverted meiosis). Male gametogenesis is asymmetric, yielding a single functional sperm nucleus and non-Mendelian segregation. Fertilisation restores the diploid state with intact haplotypes, but only heterozygous seeds develop into viable embryos, ensuring faithful restoration of the highly heterozygous parental genome each generation. Figure and caption from: bioRxiv 2026.01.17.700054; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.17.700054
January 27, 2026 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
There’s a blackout in Kyiv Ukraine, and hundreds of thousands of residents are without electricity, water, and heating. The water pumps don’t work without electricity and the pipes are freezing. Send help if you can. I link a trusted organization (Polish Humanitarian Action) 🇺🇦
www.pah.org.pl/en/
Homepage - Polska Akcja Humanitarna
www.pah.org.pl
January 23, 2026 at 9:42 PM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
There’s a blackout in Kyiv Ukraine, and hundreds of thousands of residents are without electricity, water, and heating. The water pumps don’t work without electricity and the pipes are freezing. Send help if you can. I link a trusted organization (Polish Humanitarian Action) 🇺🇦
www.pah.org.pl/en/
Homepage - Polska Akcja Humanitarna
www.pah.org.pl
January 23, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
Hello #PortfolioDay 🐡 I’m a scientific illustrator with a PhD in biology and research experience in ecology and evolution. My work includes infographics, illustrations, learning materials, and branding

I’m open to commissions and/or a full-time job in communications or educational design
A photo of a book open on a page showing illustrations related to colour theory. From "The Communicating Scientist" by Olle Bergman, Sarang Park, and Joanna Bagniewska, with illustrations by Dorota Paczesniak A complex figure with a digital illustration and text boxes. Shows soil cross-section and a plant with above-ground and below-ground parts visible. The plant has four stalks: one with a bud, flower, and fruit, and one with brown and dried leaves that are falling off. This is to signal the main theme of the paper, i.e. phenology. The text boxes are divided into two main categories: above-ground and below-ground and briefly explain the difference between these two environments in resource gradients, plant–soil functionality, and coupling to photosynthesis. Morris, K., & Nair, R. (2025). Below the leaves: Integrating above- and below-ground phenology for earth-system predictability. Functional Ecology, 00, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70057 A photo of a leaflet open to show the first and the last page. This is an infographic for the Conservation Genetics Workshop titled „Types of genetic markers: What can they reveal?” The first page features an illustration of the three levels of biodiversity: genes, species and ecosystems. The last page has an info box about open and FAIR data. Citation: Buser CN, Weber AAT, Feulner PGD, Richman S, Fischer MC, Grossen C, Naciri Y, Paczesniak D, Paerli R, Reutimann O, Tschan J, Widmer A & Gugerli F. (2025). Types of genetic markers: What can they reveal? (Conservation Genetics Workshop, Infographic 1). Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. https://doi.org/10.55419/wsl:40663 An infographic titled: “Tree breeding - from wild to genetically improved forests”. There are four coloured panels with illustrations and diagrams, and grey text boxes surrounding them. The panels depict 1. Wild forest 2. Breeding 3. Mass propagation 4. Cultivated forest Developed by Luke (Natural Resources Institute Finland) and the University of Helsinki. Graphic design: Dorota Paczesniak
January 13, 2026 at 7:41 PM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
We’re posting boardwalks! Finland has a lot of great ones. This one goes around a very large swamp in the Torronsuo National Park
A boardwalk in a large open, swampy area. There are some pine trees here and there, and a small child walks in the distance
January 14, 2026 at 7:50 AM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
Hello #PortfolioDay 🐡 I’m a scientific illustrator with a PhD in biology and research experience in ecology and evolution. My work includes infographics, illustrations, learning materials, and branding

I’m open to commissions and/or a full-time job in communications or educational design
A photo of a book open on a page showing illustrations related to colour theory. From "The Communicating Scientist" by Olle Bergman, Sarang Park, and Joanna Bagniewska, with illustrations by Dorota Paczesniak A complex figure with a digital illustration and text boxes. Shows soil cross-section and a plant with above-ground and below-ground parts visible. The plant has four stalks: one with a bud, flower, and fruit, and one with brown and dried leaves that are falling off. This is to signal the main theme of the paper, i.e. phenology. The text boxes are divided into two main categories: above-ground and below-ground and briefly explain the difference between these two environments in resource gradients, plant–soil functionality, and coupling to photosynthesis. Morris, K., & Nair, R. (2025). Below the leaves: Integrating above- and below-ground phenology for earth-system predictability. Functional Ecology, 00, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70057 A photo of a leaflet open to show the first and the last page. This is an infographic for the Conservation Genetics Workshop titled „Types of genetic markers: What can they reveal?” The first page features an illustration of the three levels of biodiversity: genes, species and ecosystems. The last page has an info box about open and FAIR data. Citation: Buser CN, Weber AAT, Feulner PGD, Richman S, Fischer MC, Grossen C, Naciri Y, Paczesniak D, Paerli R, Reutimann O, Tschan J, Widmer A & Gugerli F. (2025). Types of genetic markers: What can they reveal? (Conservation Genetics Workshop, Infographic 1). Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. https://doi.org/10.55419/wsl:40663 An infographic titled: “Tree breeding - from wild to genetically improved forests”. There are four coloured panels with illustrations and diagrams, and grey text boxes surrounding them. The panels depict 1. Wild forest 2. Breeding 3. Mass propagation 4. Cultivated forest Developed by Luke (Natural Resources Institute Finland) and the University of Helsinki. Graphic design: Dorota Paczesniak
January 13, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
jbyoder.org
Fellow biologists, this is a poem that discovers the tonal beauty of the word "ribosome"
January 8, 2026 at 4:37 AM
Reposted by Dorota Paczesniak
andrewjroger.bsky.social
I'm really enjoying this memoir on the history of numerical methods in phylogenetics by F. James Rohlf: academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan...
Too Many Numbers?
Abstract. A somewhat personal account of the development and acceptance of numerical taxonomic methods during the early years of the journal Systematic Zoo
academic.oup.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:02 PM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
OK, I’ll take it #Your2026Word
The screenshot of Merriam-Webster’s ”Your 2026 word” gif. It says ”smol”
January 1, 2026 at 8:10 PM
dorotdesigns.bsky.social
Hello 2026
A panoramic photo of a forest clearing in winter. There’s a little snow and thick frost covering little pine trees
January 1, 2026 at 7:58 PM