Ploszajski attended
Dame Alice Harpur School (now part of
Bedford Girls' School) choosing to study A-Level mathematics, further mathematics, physics and music. She went on to study at
Mansfield College, Oxford. Ploszajski was a post-doc Research Fellow at the
Institute of Making,
University College London, specialising in the research of 4D printing and metamaterials. In addition, she presents on stage, radio and TV and writes about science. Her debut book, ''Handmade: A Scientist's Search for Meaning Through Making'', was published by Bloomsbury Sigma, the popular science imprint of
Bloomsbury Publishing, in 2021. In 2017, she was named Young Engineer of the Year by the
Royal Academy of Engineering, and in 2018 won the Silver Medal from the
Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. ==Personal life==