The National Science Centre has announced the results of the prestigious Sonata Bis 15 competition, with a grant awarded to Prof. Róża Goścień from the Department of Computer Systems and Networks. She is among three researchers from Wrocław University of Science and Technology to receive funding. This marks the second-best result among all technical universities in Poland. Congratulations!

WUST among Poland’s leading technical universities

The latest NCN results confirm the high standard of research conducted at our university. Three grants awarded to WUST place it second among technical universities in Poland. The laureates from our university are:

• Prof. Róża Goścień (Faculty of Information and Communication Technology) – project “GreeNet: Environmentally friendly, survivable, and explainable – modelling and optimizing future optical transport networks”, funding: PLN 1.45 million.
• Prof. Andrzej Żak (Faculty of Chemistry) – project “Free electrons in investigation of phase transitions in liquid crystals and their hybrid systems”, funding: PLN 3.96 million;
• Dr Aleksander Górniak (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering) – project “Experimental research in simulated collision conditions and determination of passenger injury models in out-of-position (OOP) poses characteristic of autonomous vehicles”, funding: PLN 3.5 million;

Green and resilient networks of the future

Prof. Róża Goścień’s project addresses one of the key challenges of the modern digital world: the rapidly growing energy consumption of the ICT sector. It already accounts for around 4% of global electricity usage, and demand continues to rise alongside the expansion of digital services.

Current approaches to network reliability rely on maintaining redundant resources. While this improves resilience, it also increases energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

– The aim of my project is to develop, implement and test a set of models and algorithms that will enable the design of next-generation optical transport networks that are energy-efficient, resilient and transparent in operation – explains Prof. Róża Goścień.

An important aspect of the research will be combining energy efficiency with building trust in advanced technologies. As the researcher points out, operators are often cautious when adopting complex control algorithms due to their lack of interpretability.

– In this project, I will use explainable AI (XAI) tools that allow us to analyse and interpret decisions made by automated systems – she adds.

Improving transparency and reliability may support wider deployment of such solutions in real-world networks. The project has the potential to contribute to both scientific knowledge and the development of future network standards and protocols.

Drawing in matter

Prof. Andrzej Żak from the Faculty of Chemistry will investigate phase transitions in liquid crystals – a unique state of matter combining properties of liquids and solids, widely used in modern displays.

The project originated from an unexpected observation: during electron microscopy, the beam not only visualised the material but also altered its structure.

– We realised that the microscope could act not only as an observation tool, but also as a way to interact with matter – explains Prof. Żak.

The research will use the electron beam as a nanometric “thermal pencil”, enabling the creation of precise structures at unprecedented resolution. A key element will be the development of the 4D-STEM method, allowing detailed diffraction-based analysis of materials.

Preliminary findings suggest discrepancies between theoretical models and experimental results, opening up new directions in fundamental research.

Safety in autonomous vehicles

The development of autonomous vehicles will enable passengers to travel in non-standard seating positions, such as reclined or rotated seats (out-of-position, OOP). While this improves comfort, it introduces new safety challenges.

– Current crash tests are designed for traditional seating positions and do not fully reflect injury risks in these new configurations – explains Dr Aleksander Górniak.

The project will investigate how the human body behaves in OOP scenarios and what injuries are most likely. The research will include frontal, rear and oblique collisions under different seat angles.

Experiments will be conducted using sled tests and two types of dummies: Hybrid III and the more advanced Primus Biofidelic Dummy, which better represents human biomechanics in unconventional positions.

Measurements will include accelerations, forces and moments, supported by high-speed 3D motion analysis.

The results will be used to calculate injury criteria such as HIC (head), Nij and NIC (neck), and BrIC (brain injury).

– We will also verify whether current “safe” thresholds accurately reflect real injury mechanisms in OOP conditions – adds the researcher.

The project is expected to deliver reliable experimental data and predictive models, contributing to improved safety standards for autonomous vehicles.