The election college assembly was presided over by Barbara Koscielniak-Mucha, TUL prof., and it was she that signed the document stating the fact that the Electoral College elected prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik rector for the term commencing on September 1, 2024. Giving thanks, rector-elect and incumbent rector all in one person said,
'I promise to work hard. The University must grow, and together, we will do everything to make it as beautiful as possible, as good as possible. As the only candidate for the honorable office of rector, I felt an additional weight of responsibility, and it motivated me to work even harder.’
Rector prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik was moved with the election,
‘It is a great honour and I feel grateful for the trust put in me. I pledge not to disappoint. A sense of community will guide me in the pursuit of the goals I envision for the development of Lodz University of Technology. I hope for you to be satisfied with your boss’.
The key theme of the agenda, available here, was ‘Lodz University of Technology - our common good’. Referring to the keynote phrase, prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik emphasized ‘Lodz University of Technology means people: it means YOU, it means WE. So who better to look after and care of it than those who have spent a great part of their life here?’
Agenda highlights
The rector intends to expand the system of incentives for top-quality research and funding for high-scoring publications, building strong international interdisciplinary research groups, leveraging the possibilities offered by the ECIU network of European universities, and organizing a Discipline Day to strengthen scientific cooperation. ‘I am convinced that modern science crosses the traditional boundaries of individual disciplines and even disciplines’, he said.
He declared that a Student Ombudsman would be appointed and a system of special care for the most promising prospective and current students developed. Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik emphasized that ‘ Research and education ought to be pursued according to constant principles, even though the methods evolve, and innovation determines whether we play a leadership role. We wish Lodz University of Technology to operate in a global market, which requires keeping up with, or even anticipating, the changes taking place. Amendments to the law are urgently needed and I will strive towards effecting them with all means available to me to enable flexible planning and implementation of study paths, especially in second-cycle degree curricula. The aim is to offer prospective students 'tailor-made' education model.
Plans for the next term also include building a building connecting the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Engineering facilities, raising funds for and replacing the old building of the Faculty of Chemistry with a new facility to house the Center for Modern Teaching and Learning Methods and the central administration offices. Renewable energy sources and striving towards a zero-carbon campus will be another area of focus.
CV highlights
Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik (born 30 December 1962) graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Lodz University of Technology. He completed master’s degree in 1987, graduating with honours specializing in cars and tractors. Since then, he has been associated with the Institute of Turbomachinery, of which he became director in 2007.
He completed his doctoral degree in 1998 and his postdoctoral degree in 2006. In 2014, he received full professorship in technical sciences.
His research output includes many studies commissioned by the manufacturing industry (Dresser-Rand, Faurecia, PSA Citroen&Peugeot, Eurocopter, later Airbus Helicopters), among them the calculation and design of the propulsion system for the world's fastest helicopter, the X3. Concurrently, he worked on developing numerical modelling of blood flows. He led the task ‘Development of mechanical heart valves and air supply system for the pneumatic heart support chambers’ controller’ in the strategic project ‘Polish artificial heart’. From 2006 to 2012, he was a visiting professor at Coventry University.
He has been the principal investigator in 26 research projects, including, currently, two European ones. He has co-authored 10 patents and 15 patent applications; he has supervised 14 successfully defended doctoral dissertations. The Scopus database has records of him being cited 483 times, whereas his h-index is 13.
Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik also has tremendous experience in university administration: he served as Vice-Dean for Student Affairs at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (2002-2008) and as the Vice-Rector for Education (2008-2012). From 2007 to 2017, he was a member of the Board of the Łódź Regional Science and Technology Park. In January 2020 he was appointed the Vice-Rector for Education. While in this role, he also headed the TUL Anti-Crisis Task Group, to help during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In September 2020 he was elected Rector of Lodz University of Technology.
Among the non-academic pursuits he finds most enjoyable there are playing volleyball games on the TUL team, windsurfing, reading books, picking mushrooms. His most favourite pastime is cooking.