The nomination of "professor" in Poland is not a title to be taken lightly. It is a prestigious award in the eastern European country, viewed as the highest honor one can earn.
Wojciech Misiolek, chair of the materials science and engineering department at Lehigh University, can now count himself part of that exclusive group.
An internationally recognized leader in the field of materials forming and processing, Misiolek was one of 57 individuals recognized by Polish President Andrzej Duda during a ceremony in Warsaw last month. Misiolek -- along with Pawel Stankiewicz of Texas' Baylor College of Medicine -- were also the only two professors teaching in United States to be honored.
"The title of professor is a prestigious award and the top level to which you can ascend as an educator in Poland." Misiolek explained. "It's also pretty rare for an individual teaching outside the country to achieve such an honor."
Misiolek has over 30 years of independent research project management, teaching, and consulting. An interdisciplinary researcher in materials processing and process engineering, his interests are focused on deformation, powder and machining processes along with applications for structural and bio-materials. The common theme of these studies is to understand and develop characterization techniques for microstructure evolution in different materials during forming and processing.
As both materials science chair and director of Lehigh's Loewy Institute, Misiolek collaborates with several research institutions around the world.
"I immediately recognized that we needed to work with the best in the field, both in the U.S. and abroad," Misiolek explained. "We sought to build a network of collaborative projects, which would benefit Lehigh's graduate programs."
The Loewy Family Foundation's support has enabled Misiolek and graduate students to gain valuable research and teaching experiences through exchanges with research institutions in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, New Zealand, Norway and, of course, Poland.
The research we pursue has raised our international profile," said Misiolek, "facilitating exciting collaborations and providing powerful leverage for success in securing external research funding."
Misiolek has contributed more than 190 publications to the research literature. He has served as co-director of the RPI Aluminum Processing Program, an international industrial consortium performing pre-competitive interdisciplinary research that focused mainly on the aluminum extrusion process.
Misiolek is a Fellow of American Society for Materials International and member of the American Powder Metallurgy Institute; the European Society for Forming of Materials; Polonia Technica; Society of Manufacturing Engineers; Minerals, Metals & Materials Society; and, Tube & Pipe Association, International.
