Prof. Andrzej Seweryn with honoris causa doctorate from the Lublin University of Technology | Gdańsk University of Technology

– The title of honoris causa doctor of the Lublin University of Technology - the highest academic distinction – brought me great joy and satisfaction – said the dean of the MEST faculty, prof. Andrzej Seweryn. – This honor is all the greater for me because the Lublin University of Technology, which awarded it, although it is not the largest, is nevertheless a well-managed university, conducting research and education at the highest level. I sincerely thank all the people who contributed to this award, especially the Rector of the Lublin University of Technology, prof. Zbigniew Pater, who was the originator of the entire procedure and its "good spirit" at every stage, and the Senate of the Lublin University of Technology, who granted me this title, and the Mechanical Engineering Scientific Discipline Council, which initiated the procedure. Great thanks to my supervisor - prof. Tomasz Sadowski, an outstanding scientist of world rank, as well as the reviewers - eminent representatives of science and higher education: prof. Arkadiusz Mężyk - Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, prof. Zbigniew Koruba - Rector of the Kielce University of Technology and prof. Jarosław Sęp - Vice-rector of the Rzeszów University of Technology. I would also like to thank the Senates of the Rzeszów University of Technology, the Silesian University of Technology and the Świętokrzyskie University of Technology for supporting the application for an honorary doctorate.

Prof. Andrzej Seweryn, PhD, DSc, Eng.

Prof. Andrzej Seweryn, PhD, DSc, Eng. was born on 9 November 1962 in Hajnówka. In the years 1981-1986 he studied (according to an individual program) at the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology. He obtained a master's degree in engineering in the field of basic technical problems, specialization: applied mechanics.

After graduating, in 1986-1988, he worked as a constructor at the Design and Construction Office of Toruńskie Zakłady Urządzeń Okrętowych TOWIMOR in Toruń, where he designed and performed strength calculations for ship devices, in particular: turntables, sidings and jibs of cranes and winches.

In the years 1988–2021 he was employed at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Białystok University of Technology, where he followed a scientific career from the position of assistant and assistant professor to associate professor and full professor.

In November 1992 he defended his doctoral dissertation, entitled "Problems of the mechanics of brittle fracture of structural elements with triangular notches". The dissertation was supervised by prof. Jan Piwnik, PhD, Eng. The degree of doctor of technical sciences in the discipline of mechanics (specialization: materials strength) was awarded by the Scientific Council of the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. In November 1997, he obtained a postdoctoral degree in technical sciences in the discipline of mechanics, awarded by the Council of the Faculty of Automotive and Construction Machinery Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology on the basis of a scientific dissertation on "Accumulation of damage and cracking of structural elements in complex load states". In 2004, the President of the Republic of Poland awarded him the title of professor of technical sciences.

In the years 2008–2012 prof. Andrzej Seweryn was the Vice-rector for science at the Białystok University of Technology, in the years 2002–2008 and 2012–2019 - the dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Bialystok University of Technology. In the years 1999–2020 he was the head of the Department of Mechanics and Applied Computer Science at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

Prof. Andrzej Seweryn has excellent achievements in creating and organizing the student scientific movement. He was the mentor of the Students' Scientific Circle of Structural Theory at the Białystok University of Technology (1992-1995) and of the Computer Aided Design Scientific Circle (1998-2000). He managed student scientific expeditions organized by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Białystok University of Technology (including the Aviation and Astronautical Salon - Paris 1994 expedition). He developed systems of financing and technological support of student projects at this faculty. The result was numerous student successes in international competitions and exhibitions, such as: University Rover Challenge in Hanksville, USA (1st place in 2011, 2013 and 2014) Formula Student: Germany in Hockenheim, Hungary in Győr, UK in Silverstone, Czech Republic in Hradec Kralove, Italy in Varano de' Melegari (2nd place in 2016).

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology

From 1 January 2021, he is associated with the newly created Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology at Gdańsk University of Technology. From 1 March, he is the dean and the chairman of the Faculty Council. He is also a member of the team preparing the consolidation process of the universities: Gdańsk University of Technology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk (the Daniel Fahrenheit Union of Universities in Gdańsk, FarU).

In 2021, he initiated the modernization of study programs at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology of Gdańsk University of Technology, both in first-cycle studies, in 8 fields of study: mechanics and machine construction, mechatronics, mechanical and medical engineering, management and production engineering, power engineering, ocean engineering, design and yacht construction, transport and logistics, as well as in the second-cycle studies, in 6 fields: mechanics and mechanical engineering, mechatronics, mechanical and medical engineering, power engineering, ocean engineering as well as transport and logistics.

Research work

Research interests of prof. Andrzej Seweryn are closely related to the field of engineering and technical sciences, the discipline of mechanical engineering (specialization: mechanics of materials and structures, computer methods of mechanics, fatigue of materials and structures, mechanics of damage and fracture, strength of structural elements, experimental methods of mechanics) and include:

• experimental tests and modeling of the accumulation of damage and cracking processes in structural elements under multi-axis load conditions with proportional and disproportionate components,
• numerical modeling by the finite element method of deformation and fracture of the mesostructure of porous materials with the use of computer microtomography,
• strength and fatigue life of sintered metal alloys with different porosity and materials obtained with the use of additive technologies, including metamaterials,
• experimental studies and modeling of the interaction of creep damage and fatigue,
• strength and fatigue life of structural metal alloys at elevated temperatures,
• criteria for brittle and ductile fracture of notched elements in single and biaxial loading conditions, also at elevated and lowered temperatures,
• modeling of cracking of heterogeneous and anisotropic media on the example of wood,
• modeling of crack development under the influence of single- and multi-axis fatigue loads,
• determination of mechanical properties of construction materials using experimental and numerical methods,
• finite element method in applications to fracture mechanics.

350 scientific publications

Prof. Andrzej Seweryn, PhD, DSc, Eng. has published about 350 scientific publications (50 of which were in journals indexed in the Journal Citation Reports database). He is the author of seven monographs, his works have been cited 1096 times according to the Web of Science Core Collection database, and the Hirsch index according to this database was 15.

He is the promoter of eight doctoral theses. Founder and editor-in-chief of the journal Acta Mechanica et Automatica.

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

Numerous awards

For his outstanding scientific, didactic and organizational achievements, the professor was repeatedly distinguished with numerous awards and decorations, including the individual award of the Minister of National Education and Sport (in 2004), the award of the Mechanics Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences of the 2nd degree for a series of scientific works (in 2000 ), a scholarship from the Foundation for Polish Science awarded to young researchers for scientific achievements (in 1993), 25 awards of the Rector of Białystok University of Technology: individual awards in 1996, 1998, 2003-2019 and team awards in 1994, 1995 and 1999-2002, Medal of the National Education Commission (in 2006), the Silver Cross of Merit (in 2004) and the Gold Cross of Merit (in 2020). In addition, in 2020, he was included in the group of the TOP 2% of the best scientists in the world, whose publications are most often cited by other authors (The World's Top 2% Scientists) based on a ranking prepared by Stanford University in cooperation with the Elsevier publishing house and SciTech Strategies.

The ceremony of awarding the title of Honoris Causa Doctor of the Lublin University of Technology took place on 13 May 2022.