Zbigniew Janusz Popiołek, professor, habilitated doctor of technical sciences, electrical engineer, specialist in thermal measurement, heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

He graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology in 1973, obtaining the professional title of Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in the specialization of Electrical Measurement and Measurement Instruments.

He began his scientific and teaching activity at the Silesian University of Technology in 1973 as an assistant at the Department of Heating, Ventilation and Dust Removal Technology at the Faculty of Environmental Engineering. In October 1979, he obtained the degree of doctor of technical sciences, presenting a doctoral thesis in the field of anemometry and its application in the study of ventilation and dust removal processes. He published the results of his research together with the supervisor of the doctoral thesis in the first scientific monograph published in Poland in this field. He continued his research related to anemometry in the following years, including: In 1983, as part of a British Council scholarship, he completed a research internship at the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London. The result of the research conducted there was an article published in the renowned Journal Fluid Mechanics. In 1980, he completed a 4-month internship at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and began experimental research and modeling of flow in convective jets over heat sources. In March 1988, after presenting his habilitation thesis on Research and modeling of convective jets in terms of shaping the ventilation process, the Council of the Faculty of Sanitary and Water Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology awarded him the academic degree of Ph.D. In the years 1985-1998, under the supervision of prof. Z. Popiołek, several devices were developed for measuring parameters characterizing the thermal environment in rooms, including a thermoanemometer with a spherical sensor, which is still in production and used to measure the velocity of air movement in rooms. After obtaining his postdoctoral degree, he worked as an associate professor (until 1992) and then as an associate professor at the Silesian University of Technology. In August 2003, the President of the Republic of Poland awarded Prof. Z. Popiołek the title of professor of technical sciences and in March 2010 he was appointed to the position of full professor at the Silesian University of Technology.

Prof. Z. Popiołek held a number of positions at the Silesian University of Technology, in 1980-1990 he was the Head of the Laboratory of the Institute of Heating, Ventilation and Air Protection, in 1990-1991 the Deputy Director of the Institute for Teaching and Upbringing, in 1990-1993 the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering for Studies for Working People and in 1991-1994 the Head of the Department of Measurement and Fluid Mechanics. For the longest time, from September 1994 to August 2013, he was the Head of the Department of Heating, Ventilation and Dust Removal Technology. From September 2012 to August 2016, he was the Vice-Dean for Science and International Cooperation at the Faculty of Environmental and Energy Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice.

Professor Z. Popiołek’s scientific activity concerns such research areas as thermal diagnostics of buildings and improvement of the methodology and equipment for measuring ventilation and dust removal processes, as well as energy-saving shaping of the indoor environment, including mathematical and physical modeling of aerodynamic and thermal phenomena in heating, ventilation and air conditioning processes.

Professor Z. Popiołek gives lectures and seminars at full-time and evening studies, and has been giving regular lectures at the Danish Technical University in Lyngby since 2003. He is the creator and supervisor of the new specialization Hygiene and Safety of the Work Environment, co-creator of the new course of study Safety Engineering. For many years he was the supervisor of the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning specialization and director of the postgraduate studies Hygiene and Safety of Work. Prof. Z. Popiołek cooperates with many research centers in Europe and with the American Industrial Hygiene Association in the USA.

In 2003-2005, Prof. Z. Popiołek headed the Center of Excellence “ENER-INDOOR” established in the Department of Heating, Ventilation and Dust Removal Technology under the 5th EU Framework Program entitled: Energy-efficient technologies and systems in indoor environment engineering. In 2010-2013, prof. Z. Popiołek was the manager of task 4 “Development of thermal diagnostics of buildings” in the strategic project “Integrated system for reducing the operational energy consumption of buildings” financed by the National Center for Research and Development and implemented by a scientific and industrial consortium led by the Faculty of Environmental and Energy Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology. Prof. Z. Popiołek was the supervisor of 15 completed doctoral dissertations, he was the supervisor of almost one hundred master’s theses. He is the author or co-author of 5 books and 6 monographs, and has published about 170 articles. He reviewed 19 doctoral dissertations (including 4 abroad), 6 habilitation dissertations and 3 professors’ applications