I am interested in the evolutionary and ecological processes that generate biological diversity and complexity. My research combines evolutionary genomics, microbiology, biodiversity science, and ecology to understand how interactions among organisms generate, maintain, and transform biological diversity across scales. I am equally interested in developing the conceptual and methodological tools needed to study that diversity. Current research themes include:

1. The limits of genome reduction and integration

2. Microbes as drivers of insect ecology and adaptation

3. Biodiversity patterns and species interactions

4. High-throughput approaches for biodiversity and microbiome research

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A major focus of my work is the evolution and function of heritable bacterial symbionts of insects. Many sap-feeding insects, particularly within the hemipteran suborder Auchenorrhyncha, depend on ancient nutritional symbioses that have persisted for hundreds of millions of years. These intimate associations provide unique opportunities to investigate the evolutionary limits of genome reduction, the integration of distinct biological partners, and the processes through which complex symbiotic systems emerge, diversify, and sometimes break down. My group studies some of the most extreme symbioses known, including bacterial lineages with genomes approaching the lower limits compatible with cellular life, multipartite symbiotic consortia, and systems undergoing the collapse of formerly stable obligate associations.
Example papers [links]: Michalik et al. 2026, Nature Communications, Łukasik et al. 2018, PNAS

At broader ecological scales, we investigate how microorganisms contribute to insect ecology, evolution, and adaptation. Microbial partners can influence nutrition, defence against natural enemies, reproduction, environmental tolerance, and interactions among species, with consequences ranging from individual fitness to the structure of entire ecological communities. By combining large-scale biodiversity surveys, microbiome analyses, phylogenomics, and field studies across diverse environments, we seek to understand when and how microorganisms influence insect populations, species interactions, community assembly, and responses to environmental change.
Example papers [links]: Łukasik & Kolasa 2024, Philosophical Transactions B; Nowak et al. 2025, Microbiome

More broadly, I am interested in the origins, organization, and dynamics of biological diversity across levels of biological organization. My work explores patterns of insect diversity, species interactions, and community assembly using a combination of large-scale metabarcoding, phylogenomics, taxonomy, and ecological analyses. Current projects range from reconstructing the evolutionary history of diverse insect groups and documenting previously unknown biodiversity, to characterizing host–parasitoid, host–pathogen, and host–microbe interactions across entire ecological communities. By integrating high-throughput sequencing with natural history, systematics, and evolutionary biology, we seek to understand how biodiversity is structured, how species interactions shape ecological and evolutionary processes, and how these patterns vary across space and time.
Example papers [links]: Deng et al. 2025, Systematic Entomology, Płoszka et al. 2025, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, Miraldo et al. 2025, Scientific Data

Addressing these questions requires methodological approaches capable of capturing biological diversity across vast taxonomic, spatial, and temporal scales. We develop and apply high-throughput tools for biodiversity and microbiome research, integrating metabarcoding, metagenomics, phylogenomics, advanced microscopy, and multi-omics with innovative analytical and modelling frameworks. These approaches allow us to characterize insect diversity, microbial communities, and species interactions at unprecedented resolution, from individual symbiotic systems to entire ecological communities. Ultimately, our research aims to implement scalable frameworks for biodiversity discovery, monitoring, and prediction in a rapidly changing world.
Example papers [links]: Iwaszkiewicz-Eggebrecht et al. 2023, Methods Ecol Evol; Iwaszkiewicz-Eggebrecht et al. 2023, PLoS ONE

Beyond academia: I am also an active naturalist, nature photographer, and biodiversity observer. My iNaturalist profile includes more than 10,000 observations representing over 3,000 species, reflecting a long-standing passion for documenting biodiversity and exploring the natural world.

Photo of Piotr standing next to set up Malaise Trap in Greenland.