Prof. Piotr Polanowski is an alumnus of the University of Lodz. He was awarded the degree of Master of Science in Physics in 1987 at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. His affiliation with the Faculty of Chemistry of Lodz University of Technology began in 1994. He initially worked at the Institute of Polymers, from which he moved on to the then newly formed Department of Molecular Physics. In 2002 he completed his doctoral degree in Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry, whereas in 2013 he was awarded a postdoctoral degree in Physics from the Faculty of Physics at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
Research
Prof. Polanowski's primary research focus is on the behavior of simple and complex liquids, such as alloys, polymer solutions, gels, colloidal systems, and their dynamic (diffusion, relaxation) and static properties that generally refer to the topology of the investigated system.
In his research, he deploys network algorithms with the configuration space being, for example, a face-centred cubic (FCC) lattice. This group includes two algorithms that he uses, namely dynamic lattice liquid model (DLL) and cooperative motion algorithm (CMA) which both enable, among other things, simulations of the structure and dynamics of macromolecules with complex architectures.
These methods, based on the concept of cooperative motion, were first proposed by professor Tadeusz Pakuła at the end of the 20th century. The distinguishing advantage offered by both is that they allow for simulations to be carried out when the value of the packing fraction equals one, i.e., in situations where all lattice nodes contain elements of the simulated system. Thus, DLL and CMA enable simulations of really dense systems, just like the ones that occur in the natural world.
Research publications
Prof. Piotr Polanowski's research output includes more than 60 scientific publications, 55 of which in the JCR indexed journals. He is a co-author of 4 inventions filed with the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland, and a co-author of two inventions and two applications for patent protection in the European Union. He was the principal investigator of 3 grants funded by the KBN and NCN, and worked as a researcher in many other national and European research projects.
Prof. Piotr Polanowski favorite leisurely activity is riding his bike.