Young scientists from Gdańsk Tech with scholarships from the Foundation for Polish Science | Gdańsk University of Technology

The elite group of scholarship holders of the START FNP program includes the following scientists from Gdańsk University of Technology: Erwin Wojtczak, PhD, Eng., from the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering (field: construction), Jan Alfuth, PhD, Eng., and Szymon Dudziak, MSc, Eng., from the Faculty of Chemistry (materials engineering) and Bartosz Kamecki, PhD, Eng., and Krystian Lankauf, MSc, Eng., from the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics (materials engineering).

Since 2009, the Foundation has also been awarding distinctions in the program to people whose research achievements were rated as outstanding by the competition reviewers. These were awarded to four people: in the field of technical and exact sciences - Erwin Wojtczak, PhD, Eng.

Erwin Wojtczak, PhD, Eng.

He is an assistant professor at the Department of Strength of Materials at the FCEE. The main topic of his research work, carried out in the Diagnostics and Experimental Mechanics Team under the supervision of prof. Magdalena Rucka, PhD, DSc, Eng., is non-destructive diagnostics of structures using ultrasonic waves. The conducted research resulted in the development of procedures for non-invasive detection and imaging of damage in elements made of steel, concrete and carbon composite. The issue of structure diagnostics is important from the point of view of the safety of use of the structure, which is important in the context of protecting human health and life. To date, he has published 22 scientific articles, including 16 in journals from the JCR list. For his doctoral dissertation, defended in 2022, he was awarded the Award of the Gdańsk Scientific Society and the Mayor of Gdańsk for young scientists. Currently, he continues work on the use of ultrasound in the diagnosis of 3D printed elements as part of the PRELUDIUM project (NCN).

Jan Alfuth, PhD, Eng.

He is an assistant professor at the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry. The young scientist conducts research on crystal engineering, which focuses on obtaining ordered supramolecular structures using non-covalent interactions. One of his achievements is a scientific work on the [2+2] cycloaddition reaction driven by chalcogen bonds, which was published in "Angewandte Chemie International Edition" in 2022 (IF approx. 16.6). Currently, he is involved in the design and preparation of molecules that form complementary dimers, trimers or helical structures in a solid state (crystal). The researcher's area of interest also includes two-component supramolecular systems (cocrystals), primarily with honeycomb topology, which he will ultimately investigate in terms of their sorption abilities. His scientific achievements include 9 scientific articles on the so-called Philadelphia lists, in which he is the first author. He is the winner of the faculty award named after Zofia and Włodzimierz Libuś in the CHEM category for a young scientist, and the co-author of the script "Collection of tasks in organic chemistry", which is popular not only among Gdańsk Tech students.

Bartosz Kamecki, PhD, Eng.

During his doctoral studies at the Department of Functional Materials Engineering at the FETI (under the supervision of Sebastian Molina, PhD, DSc, Eng., professor, at Gdańsk Tech), he carried out research on the possibilities of using the aerosol pyrolysis method to produce functional layers for oxide fuel cells generating electricity from hydrogen. The innovative approach included the use of a low-cost aerosol pyrolysis method for producing ceramic layers, which allowed for obtaining high-quality materials at relatively low temperatures (~400ºC). The developed solutions make it possible to control the functional properties of the developed materials. Currently, PhD Kamecki is working in a research group led by Łukasz Kulas, PhD, DSc, Eng., professor at Gdańsk Tech, from the Department of Microwave and Antenna Engineering, where he is carrying out activities as part of the "Sustronics" project, i.e. "sustainable and ecological electronics for the circular economy" (Horizon Europe). He conducts research involving the search for and production of new materials for applications such as elements in antenna systems, electronic transmitters and receivers, using additive manufacturing methods, for example 3D printing.

Szymon Dudziak, MSc, Eng.

He conducts research focused on the design of photocatalytic materials based on the exposure of selected crystal planes to the reaction environment, mainly in the context of water purification from organic pollutants that cannot be biodegraded. The basic goal of this approach is to try to understand the detailed interactions that occur at the photocatalyst-environment interface and, on this basis, to maximize the efficiency of the entire process. So far, he has managed to compare in detail the activities of selected surfaces of TiO₂, which is one of the most important known photocatalysts, and in particular has shown that the impact of a selected dopant within the same crystalline phase on the photocatalytic activity can be completely different, depending on the surface structure (publication in prestigious "Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy"). He also manages the PRELUDIUM project. He is a co-author of 19 publications with a total IF of approximately 125. He conducts research at the Department of Process Engineering and Chemical Technology in the team of Anna Zielińska-Jurek, PhD, DSc, Eng., professor at Gdańsk Tech

Krystian Lankauf, MSc, Eng.

He completed engineering studies in nanotechnology and master's studies in materials engineering, then continued his doctoral studies related to the development and research of new electrocatalytic materials for alkaline electrolysers. During his doctoral studies, he built from scratch a scientific workshop in the field of electrochemistry, used in the research group. In his scientific work, he conducted extensive research, starting from the synthesis of new oxide materials, their characterization, including synchrotron methods, through the construction of prototype electrolysers. The research led to obtaining a PRELUDIUM grant from the National Science Center regarding new materials and advanced synchrotron measurement methods, which is currently being implemented. In his research work, he tries to combine his passion for materials engineering with the development of green technologies.

About the START FNP program

The START program of the Foundation for Polish Science is the oldest scholarship program for the best young scientists representing all fields of science in Poland (since 1993). Its aim is to support outstanding young scientists and encourage them to pursue further scientific development. Scholarship holders are selected through a multi-stage competition in which the quality of their scientific achievements to date is assessed. 100 winners of the START program in the 2024 edition, selected from a group of 641 candidates, will receive an annual scholarship of PLN 30,000. PLN, which can be used for any purpose. The scholarship for distinguished persons has been increased to PLN 38,000. zloty.