Scholarships of the Minister of Science and Higher Education for young researchers of Gdańsk Tech | Gdańsk University of Technology

This year’s scholarship holders from Gdańsk Tech include Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski, PhD, Aleksander Hejna, PhD,  Wioleta Kucharska, DSc, and Monika Zielińska, PhD.

The scholarships amounting to PLN 5,390 were awarded for the period of 3 years to 215 young researchers in total, including 37 doctoral students, representing all 47 scientific and artistic disciplines.

In his research, Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski, PhD, from the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, focuses mainly on DAB+ digital broadcasting, mobile technologies, network and service quality evaluation, as well as audio and video transmission in BPL-PLC technology.

He cooperates with international research centers, including Indian and Portugese as well as with national ones, including: Maritime University of Szczecin, Wrocław University of Technology, University of Land Forces, KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. and KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology. In the near future, the researcher is planning an internship in several institutions in order to increase the teaching and research potential of the Department of Geoinformatics at FETI. A complete list of publications is available on the research profile of Przemysław Falkowski-Gilski on Most Wiedzy webpage.

Aleksander Hejna, PhD, is employed as an assistant professor at the Department of Polymers of the Faculty of Chemistry. Her research mainly concerns management of various types of waste and by-products and their further use as fillers for polymer composites.

The scientist is currently conducting two research projects financed by the National Center for Research and Development and the National Science Center. The first of them is aimed at an effective use of rubber dust generated by recycling of used car tires as a filler for polyurethane foams. The second project is related to modification and use of the main by-product in brewing industry - brewing grain for the production of biodegradable polymer composites. Further research plans also include using other lignocellulosic waste and study of the influence of phytochemicals contained in them on the structure, properties and degradation mechanism of polymeric materials. Aleksander Hejna collaborated with numerous national and international research units, she is the co-author of 87 research publications, including 69 published in journals from the Journal Citation Report, as well as 2 patents and 2 patent applications.

Wioleta Kucharska, DSc, professor at Gdańsk Tech, from the Faculty of Management and Economics, in her research focuses on learning organizations, with particular emphasis on their ability to absorb implicit knowledge, innovation, ability to create intellectual capital and agile adaptation in the hyperdynamic conditions of the business environment that we currently observe. The latest research of the researcher, conducted in cooperation with Prof. J.Treur from University of Amsterdam and Prof. Anna Wiewióra from Queensland University of Technology, aims to broaden the knowledge on the influence of management style and organizational culture on the dynamic abilities of an organization, with particular emphasis on organizational learning from errors at the level of the so-called second and third loop. 

In August 2022, the prestigious Routledge group will publish Personal Branding in the Knowledge Economy: The Inter-relationship between Corporate and Employee Brands written by Prof. Kucharska, and Technology Brands, coedited by Prof. Ewa Lechman. Currently,  together with Prof. Denise Bedford we are working on The Cultures of Knowledge Organizations (Emerald publishing), which is an elaboration on our previous project Relating Information Culture to Information Policies and Management Strategies – says Prof. Kucharska.

Monika Zielińska, PhD, works at the Department of Technical Fundamentals of Architectural Design at the Faculty of Architecture of Gdańsk University of Technology. The main topics of research include diagnostics and monitoring of engineering structures focusing on historic buildings. They concern the theory, experimental research, and creation and application of computing systems. The research focuses mainly on development of effective and reliable diagnostic systems for building structures applying non-destructive testing techniques (NDT). This scope of work follows the current research trends and provides wide range of knowledge about building structures. NDT techniques play an important role in monitoring the technical condition of the tested elements, ensuring the reliability of the structure. This is particularly important in the case of cultural heritage sites where lack of interference that could affect the historic substance is so important. Such facilities are subject to special protection, and non-invasive tests allow the structure to remain intact for future generations. The conducted research focuses on detecting internal defects of the tested structures, location of air voids and caverns, identification of material properties and geometry of the tested cross-section. Monika Zielińska uses the ultrasound method and the GPR method among other non-destructive methods of testing. The aim of the research is to thoroughly learn the methods, assess the legitimacy of their application in the field of civil engineering and develop algorithms that enable their integrated operation.

Since 2016, Monika Zielińska is the supervisor of the Science Club - The Beauty of Structures (BOSS), active at Gdańsk University of Technology, aimed at popularizing knowledge in the field of building mechanics and building structures.