Biography: Professor Łukasz Kurpaska
Professor Łukasz Kurpaska - Director of CoE NOMATEN
Professor Lukasz Kurpaska studied at the Faculty of Material Science and Ceramics at AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow. In 2012, he received a PhD title at the University of Technology of Compiegne, France. In 2019, he obtained the title of doctor habilitus (D.Sc.) in material engineering and a professorship at NCBJ.
In his works, he mainly dealt with the structural and mechanical properties of ion-modified materials and the effect of high-temperature corrosion. His main fields of interest are steels, nickel and zirconium alloys, alumina coatings, ODS, and High Entropy Alloys. He published over 90 journal papers cited over 1200 times. His Hirsch index is 20. He serves as a referee in numerous scientific journals, e.g. Journal of Nuclear Materials, Nuclear Instruments and Methods, Surface Coatings and Technology, Nuclear Materials and Energy etc.
Prof. Kurpaska lead several projects funded by Polish agencies (FNP, NCBiR, MNiSW, NCN), IAEA, and EC. He received prestigious scholarships from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in 2017, from the French Embassy in Poland in 2014 and 2016, the Fulbright Commission in the frame of the STEM Impact Award, The Kościuszko Foundation, and The Bekker NAWA fellowship. He works actively in the EERA JPNM (European Energy Research Alliance Joint Programme on Nuclear Materials) platform. He was a coordinator from the Polish site of three H2020 projects (M4F – Multiscale modelling for fusion and fission materials, GEMMA – Generation IV Materials Maturity and SafeG - Safety of GFR through innovative materials, technologies and processes) and one project funded in the frame of Horizon EUROPE calls; INNUMAT – Innovative Structural Materials for Fission and Fusion. He has been involved in the preparation of the NOMATEN project, which was approved by the European Commission. The goal of this project is to create a new Centre of Excellence in Poland. Its strategic partners are CEA France and VTT Finland. He is involved in a project related to HTR technology, which is financed by the Ministry of Education. The project aims to rebuild MRL capabilities in testing materials for next-generation nuclear reactors.
Prof. Kurpaska acts as a Director of the NOMATEN Center of Excellence in the National Center for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) and is heading the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL). He coordinated several expert works for the Polish industry and worked with several Polish accreditation and certificate institutions, such as the Polish Center for Accreditation, the Technical Inspection Authority, and the Office of Nuclear Regulation. In 2021, he was elected a member of the scientific council of NCBJ. MRL is the only laboratory in Poland equipped with a set of 12 Hot Cells able to handle radioactive materials, while the mechanical division of MRL is the only laboratory in Poland providing services in the field of fracture mechanics following ASTM, BS, and ISO standards. In the frames of various programs (SPUB, investment projects, and research grants financed by Polish and international agencies), he secured over 35 MPLNs in various competitively funded projects in the last few years.
