Date added: 2025-07-11
Six Outstanding Gdańsk Tech Researchers Awarded Ministerial Scholarships
In the 20th edition of this prestigious competition, the Minister awarded scholarships to 228 researchers in total, including 34 doctoral candidates, selected from 1,711 applicants. In the field of engineering and technical sciences, 50 scholarships were awarded—six of them to Gdańsk Tech researchers. The recipients will receive monthly support of PLN 5,390 over a period of three years. [Read more]
Ministerial Scholarship Recipients from Gdańsk University of Technology:
Angela Andrzejewska-Sroka, PhD, Eng. – Biomedical Engineering
She is an assistant Professor in the Department of Strength of Materials at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Her research focuses on the mechanics and strength of structural materials and materials for biomedical applications, including natural tissues. She concentrates particularly on the fatigue strength and durability of polymer materials manufactured using additive techniques. Her studies also examine the impact of environmental conditions and sterilization processes on the mechanical properties of these materials.
She has led research projects involving the use of 3D printing in biomedical applications, including projects such as MINIATURA (NCN), ARGENTUM (IDUB), and an R&D project for the dental industry funded by the Research and Implementation Fund (KPAI). She has also participated in biomechanical research (OPUS, NCN) and non-destructive diagnostics of additively manufactured components (PRELUDIUM, NCN).
Her scholarly output includes over 20 JCR-indexed publications, as well as numerous patents and utility models.
Marcin Drzewiecki, PhD, Eng.– Automation, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, and Space Technologies
He is an assistant Professor in the Department of Automation of Electric Drives and Energy Conversion at the Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering.
His research and development work focuses on the Internet of Things (IoT) systems and automation solutions supporting the maritime, offshore, and marine energy industries. He develops physical modeling methods of the marine environment to replicate wave conditions with greater accuracy and user-friendliness. He also works on harvesting and converting ocean wave energy to ensure energy autonomy and reliability of sustainable IoT devices for communication, monitoring, and hazard alert systems. His solutions utilize freely available ocean wave energy—a promising source of renewable energy—and also include hybrid conversion systems integrating wave and solar energy (eco-energy, green technologies).
Between 2013 and 2021, he worked at the Ship Design and Research Centre (CTO S.A.), where he managed three research projects. From 2017 to 2021, he was a member of the ITTC Specialist Committee on Environmental Modelling, which collaborates with the International Maritime Organization. His PhD dissertation (defended in 2020) led to technological implementation at CTO for testing models of ships and wind turbines. Currently, he leads a work package in the EU Horizon Europe project SUPERIOT, in collaboration with 11 other industrial and academic partners across Europe.
Farzin Kazemi, MSc., Eng. – Civil Engineering, Geodesy, and Transportation
He is a doctoral student at the Doctoral School of Gdańsk Tech, conducting research in the Department of Structural Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Since 2021/2022, he has been pursuing his PhD under the supervision of Prof. Robert Jankowski, Director of the Doctoral School and Head of the Department of Structural Engineering.
His research focuses on developing comprehensive and practical methods for retrofitting buildings to improve their seismic resilience. He proposes innovative strengthening strategies using machine learning approaches tailored to various structural systems such as steel and reinforced concrete frames, braced frames, and shear walls.
He incorporates masonry infill and both rigid and semi-rigid connections in models of existing buildings. His team proposed a new bracing system using a steel damper with dual-response characteristics for structures in both low- and high-seismic zones.
He has collaborated with leading scientists from Iran, the United States, South Korea, Libya, China, Turkey, Canada, Iraq, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Greece, and the United Kingdom.
Adrian Olejnik, PhD, Eng. – Materials Engineering
In 2024, he defended his doctoral dissertation in Materials Engineering (supervisors: Prof. Robert Bogdanowicz and Prof. Katarzyna Siuzdak, FFM PAS). He is currently working at the Department of Metrology and Optoelectronics at the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications, and Informatics, working in Prof. Bogdanowicz’s group.
His research is focused on photoelectrochemical biosensors for the analysis of biologically relevant compounds (molecules, proteins). He specializes in the characterization and modification of semiconductor materials and the development of measurement methods for effective detection. His work integrates experimental and theoretical methodologies.
He has published 30 JCR-indexed articles, including in ACS Nano (IF = 16). He has led the Diamond Grant (MEiN) and PRELUDIUM (NCN) projects, conducted at the Functional Materials Laboratory at the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery (Polish Academy of Sciences), supported by Prof. Siuzdak. He is also a 2025 laureate of the START scholarship programme from the Foundation for Polish Science.
Paulina Parcheta-Szwindowska, PhD, Eng. – Chemical Engineering
Since 2019, she has worked in the Department of Polymer Technology at the Faculty of Chemistry.
Her research focuses on green polymers, mainly polyurethanes in various forms and applications—ranging from elastomers used in seals, anti-slip and anti-vibration mats, and toy components, to flexible polyurethane foams used in the furniture industry.
She is developing polyurethane materials using bio-based monomers, aiming to understand the influence of those monomers on material properties and to develop algorithms for designing materials with specific, tailored functionalities.
She is co-author of five patents and over 20 high-impact publications. She is also a co-author and performer of the Polish component of the international project Sustainable Polyurethanes: “From Cradle to Grave” with Enzyme Assistance, in partnership with the University of Chemistry and Technology and the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague.
She is the laureate of the 2024 W. Świętosławski Award from the Polish Society of Calorimetry and Thermal Analysis for young scientists, a 2021 START scholarship from the Foundation for Polish Science, the 2019 Gdańsk Branch of the Polish Chemical Society Award for the best doctoral thesis, and the 2018 Ministerial Scholarship for Outstanding Achievements for Top Doctoral Candidates.
Paweł Ziółkowski, PhD, Eng.– Mechanical Engineering
Since 2018, he has been an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology, conducting research in the Institute of Energy. From 2011 to 2023, he worked at the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences, where he obtained his PhD in 2018.
His scientific work focuses on modeling thermodynamic cycles and phenomena related to various forms of energy conversion. He also conducts experimental research on the conversion of electromagnetic waves into heat. His current projects include modeling high-temperature heat pumps (HTHP), very-high-temperature reactor cycles (VHTR), and an integrated system combining an Organic Rankine Cycle with a Vapor Compression Cycle (ORC–VCC).
He is the principal investigator of the nanoHEATgold project: "Optimization of the Shape and Distribution of Gold Nanostructures in a Bactericidal Chamber Utilizing the Photothermal Ablation Process" (SONATA, National Science Centre), which involves research on photothermal ablation using lasers and gold nanorods, conducted in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome and the Medical University of Gdańsk.
He has authored over 100 publications indexed in the Scopus database. His most significant achievements include research fellowships at the Laboratoire Énergies & Mécanique Théorique et Appliquée in France and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Norway, as well as leading scientific projects that have resulted in valuable interdisciplinary publications.