Tadeusz Luty - Biography#

Biography

Tadeusz Luty (born in Huta Krzeszowska, Poland, September 1942) graduated from Wroclaw University of Technology (WUT) in 1965 and received his PhD degree in 1968 and Habilitation in 1972 at the same university.

From 1965 to 1969 he worked as Lecturer at the Wroclaw University of Technology. Later, he worked as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow and the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research in Dubna, USSR. In 1972 he returned to the Wroclaw University of Technology, where he has held a full professor position since 1980. He also worked as Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In the 1990s and up to his post as a Rector, he held many positions as a visiting professor at universities in USA, France and Japan. He organised and then directed the first Centre for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology in Poland.

Many years of fruitful research cooperation with the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan) brought Professor Luty a success in discovery of photo-induced transformation as a new tool in materials science and engineering (published in “Science”, 2003). Among many honours and distinctions (doctor honoris causa of three universities), Professor Luty received (2008) highest distinction of Polish Academy of Sciences, Nicolas Copernicus Medal for “outstanding contribution to scientific and academic community of Poland and Europe”. Tadeusz Luty has published over 150 publications on Material Sciences and Engineering/Nanotechnology.

In 2002 Professor Luty was elected Rector of Wroclaw University of Technology and President of the Council of Rectors of Wroclaw and Opole Universities. As the Rector of WUT he has started many initiatives and programmes for best science performing students. Under his leadership, the University has become known for many initiatives related to the field of commercialisation of research (Center for Technology Transfer, Lower Silesia Center for Advanced Technologies, Academic Incubators). In 2005, he was re-elected as Rector of Wroclaw University of Technology and later that year, he was also elected President of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP). As the President of CRASP, he initiated a national debate on Polish higher education system in the areas of knowledge and innovation development. In 2007 he was elected as a member of the European University Association Board. He also serves as a member of the EUA Working Groups on Research Policy and Statutes Review. He has been the Polish representative to the Board of Governors of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission since 2006.

In 2007, together with the Mayor of the city of Wrocław, Tadeusz Luty initiated the EIT Plus – a portfolio of projects aimed at the development of the education-research-business triangle in Wroclaw region in realisation of which the business, universities and municipal partners are involved. It is also an implementation of financial mechanisms including private-public partnership.