Last week, members of the Institute of Advanced Materials and friends of the Professor and the Institute celebrated the long and successful scientific career of Professor Andrzej Miniewicz, who has decided to retire after more than forty years of research.
Professor Miniewicz was a pioneer in nonlinear optical studies of molecular crystals at the Chemistry Department of the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology. His research interests focused mainly on the aforementioned nonlinear optics, electro-optical properties and photorefractive phenomena in liquid crystals, and dynamic holography.
More recently, he has been interested in the study of photochromic polymers, mainly azobenzene derivatives, second harmonic generation, random lasing and, more recently, optofluidics, including the laser-induced Marangoni effect. He gained his scientific experience not only at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, but also in research laboratories of National Research Council (Ottawa, Canada), University of Lille (France), Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry (Prague, Czech Republic), University of Rennes (France), CEA (Saclay, France), University of Roma (Italy), Australian National University (Canberra, Australia) and University of Angers (France). His 242 publications in the SCOPUS database as of 25 September 2023 have been cited over 3,400 times, and his Hirsh index is currently 33. Professor Miniewicz is the co-author of 3 Polish patents and 1 patent registered in France “Modulateur spatial de lumiere optiquement adressable a structure polymerique et cristal liquide” Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique, in France. Professor Miniewicz supervised seven doctoral theses, among his students there are two full professors (Prof. Stanisław Bartkiewicz and Prof. Jarosław Myśliwiec) and two habilitated doctors (dr hab. Anna Sobolwska, and dr hab. Adam Januszko). From 2008 to 2016 he was the head of PhD studies at the Chemistry Department and a great mentor for the generation of young scientists. Thanks to his wise guidance, the scientific and teaching staff of the Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry (later the Advanced Materials Engineering and Modelling Group and finally the Institute of Advanced Materials) became one of the best in the Department of Chemistry at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. He founded and developed for many years the Nonlinear Optics Laboratory, which is currently equipped with unique laser systems and serves both researchers, PhD students and undergraduates. From 1994 to 2014 he was head of the Physics and Chemistry of Molecular Materials Department at the Chemistry Department at the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology.
When Professor Miniewicz decided, as we all wish, to slow down a little and spend more time with his family, members of the Institute, friends and colleagues honoured him with the statute of the new Wroclaw dwarf. The dwarf, made in Professor’s likeness, now guides the doors of the A3 building, where Professor Miniewicz has his office. We all hope that Professor Miniewicz will be a frequent guest at the Institute with his kind words and knowledge. We also wish Professor Miniewicz well-deserved peace and fulfilment in his retirement!!
