Prof. Andrzej Seweryn - the dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology | Gdańsk University of Technology

Prof. Andrzej Seweryn, PhD, DSc, Eng. was born on 9 November 1962 in Hajnówka. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology. He was awarded the title of doctor by the Scientific Council of IPPT PAS in 1992, and a postdoctoral degree at the Warsaw University of Technology in 1997. In 2004, he was awarded the title of professor of technical sciences by the President of the Republic of Poland.

After graduating in 1986, he worked at Toruńskie Zakłady Urządzeń Okrętowych (Toruń Ship Equipment Plant) as a constructor, and then for over 30 years he worked for the Białystok University of Technology. In the years 1988-2021 he was employed at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Białystok University of Technology, initially as an assistant and assistant professor, then associate professor and full professor. Since 1 January 2021, he is associated with the newly created Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology at Gdańsk University of Technology, and since 1 March he has become the dean of this faculty.

–  I am convinced that the knowledge and competences of professor Andrzej Seweryn will contribute to the dynamic development of the new faculty of Gdańsk University of Technology - says prof. Krzysztof Wilde, rector of GUT. - In the past, he performed a number of managerial functions at Białystok University of Technology and showed great ambition and determination in pursuing the set goals. There is a lot of work and challenges ahead of the new dean, but I am sure that he is the right person to deal with them.

–  Taking such an important position is not only an honor, but also a motivation for hard work - adds prof. Andrzej Seweryn, the new dean of FMEST. - I hope that my knowledge and experience will contribute to the best possible functioning of the new GUT faculty and the effective use of the potential of our employees and students, both in terms of research and teaching.

Research and teaching activities

The subject of prof. Andrzej Seweryn’s interest is closely related to the field of engineering and technical sciences, and more specifically to the discipline of mechanical engineering (including specialties: mechanics of materials and structures, mechanics of damage and fracture, experimental and computational methods of mechanics).

The professor also has extensive experience in university and faculty management. In the years 2008-2012 he was the vice-rector for science at Białystok University of Technology, and in the years 2002-2008 and 2012-2019 he was the dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Bialystok University of Technology. In the years 1999-2020 he was also the head of the Department of Mechanics and Applied Computer Science at this faculty.

During his term of office, the department under his supervision significantly advanced in the national scientific rankings. In the opinion of the Scientific Units Evaluation Committee (SUEC), in 2013 it was awarded the A scientific category, as the first unit of Białystok University of Technology, and in the ranking of units with a mechanical profile, it took 6th place (out of nearly 40 units). In 2017, the faculty improved its A-rating to take 4th place.

During his term of office as a dean, modern research and teaching laboratories were established, and the existing laboratories were thoroughly modernized and equipped. Faculty students have had numerous successes in international competitions, such as winning the University Rover Challenge in Hanksville, USA, or the All Japan Robot-Sumo Tournament in Tokyo. The professor was also the initiator of the establishment of doctoral studies and new fields of study at his faculty (biomechanical engineering and mechatronics), as well as the modernization of education programs in existing fields, in particular in mechanics and machine construction, which received a distinguishing mark of the Polish Accreditation Committee in 2017 (as the only field of study at Białystok University of Technology).

Moreover, prof. Andrzej Seweryn has been a member of the Mechanics Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences since 2003, and in 2016-2020 he was also a member of the Committee of Metrology and Scientific Apparatus of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He worked regularly and at the same time led ministerial teams. He was a member of the Advisory Team of the Minister of Science and Higher Education for the Polish Map of Research Infrastructure. In the years 2012-2020 he was the Chairman of the College of Deans of Mechanical Faculties of Polish Technical Universities, and in 2020 he was awarded the title of Honorary Chairman of this group.

Prof. Andrzej Seweryn has a rich publication record, which consists of about 350 scientific publications (50 of which are in prestigious journals indexed in the Journal Citation Reports database). He is the author of seven monographs, and his works are widely cited: according to the Web of Science Core Collection database, it was 1096 citations, and the Hirsch index  was 15. In 2020, he was included in the group of the top 2 percent of the best scientists in the world whose publications are most cited by other authors (The World's Top 2% Scientists) based on a ranking prepared by Stanford University.

Prof. Andrzej Seweryn was also a supervisor in eight completed doctoral dissertations and also supported the implementation of a number of habilitation theses. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of the journal Acta Mechanica et Automatica. The journal, published since 2007, is indexed in over 30 scientific databases and websites, including Scopus and Web of Science.