Dr Arkadiusz Zak was born in 1969 in Wejherowo - a beautiful Kashubian town. In 1989 he started his higher education at the Gdansk University of Technology at the Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics. In 1994 he finished his studies with high grades (several Rector Awards in years 1990-1994) and obtained a master degree from the Department of Fluid Mechanics. One year earlier, in 1993, he started working at the Szewalski Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery in Gdansk as a young research assistant, where he has been working until now. In the meantime, in 1998, he obtained a Ph.D. title in Machine Dynamics from the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, and his Ph.D. thesis was awarded by the Head of the Institute Prof J. Mikielewicz. More recently, in 2009, dr Arkadiusz Zak obtained a D.Sc. title in Mechanics of Multifunctional Materials from the same Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery.

His scientific interests are focused on static and dynamic behaviour of damaged composite material structures, damage detection and identification, the use of multi-functional materials (primarily shape memory alloys) for vibration control, and also the development of new finite elements with various types of damage. His research activities also cover the area of structural health monitoring, especially the application of the spectral finite element method for numerical simulations of wave-damage interactions for various damage localisation and characterisation techniques.

Since 1993 Dr Arkadiusz Zak has published as the author or co-author more than 60 research papers, including 20 published in top international, and 9 in leading Polish scientific journals. He has presented the results of his research at 27 international and Polish scientific meetings and conferences.

Dr Arkadiusz Zak has been working as the primary or secondary investigator in a number (10 in total) of Polish or international research projects. During the years 2000-2003 he worked as a postdoctoral research assistant at the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the University of Glasgow, UK.

He is also a member of the Polish Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. He has been a reviewer for such international scientific journal papers as: Finite Elements in Analysis and Design, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, Journal of Sound and Vibration, as well as Composites Part B.

Dr Arkadiusz Zak was also involved, as a member of the Szewalski Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery team, in organisation in Gdansk of DAMAS 2005 International Conference on Damage Assessment of Structures as well as ECCOMAS 2007 International Thematic Conference on Smart Strucutres and Materials.

International research experience:

• 1-month research scholarship at City University London, UK, 1994
• 2-month research scholarship at Manchester University, UK, 1994
• 2-month research scholarship at University of Glasgow, UK, 2000
• 3-year postdoctoral research assistantship at University of Glasgow, UK, 2000-2003

• 3-month scholarship founded through a TEMPUS program "Pro-Ecological Energy Production and Utilisation", 1994
• 1-year scholarship founded by the Foundation for Polish Science, 1999
• 2-month scholarship founded by the Stefan Batory Foundation, 2000
• KBN Grant (State Committee for Scientific Research): 1999-2001
• MNiSW Grant (Ministry of Science and Higher Education): 2007-2009