The Dynamics Lab, set up by Dr Mateusz Bocian thanks to the support from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), commenced operation in September 2020. We are based in the Department of Bridges and Railways within the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Politechnika Wrocławska), Poland.
We tackle urgent and evolving engineering problems and conduct fundamental research of which results have potential applications to real word challenges. We like to push boundaries in anything we do and often find ourselves questioning the status quo. We are driven by curiosity and the desire to make an impact. We find inspiration in diverse ways, but it often starts from seemingly simple questions beginning with: why, how, and what if. It is common that the answers to these questions open up a wide range of opportunities we end up pursuing for a greater benefit to science and society.
At the centre of our research are humans and the built environment, and their multifaceted interaction. Our research interests are encapsulated by the following themes:
Kalybek, M., Bocian, M. & Nikitas, N., Performance of optical structural vibration monitoring systems in experimental modal analysis, Structural Control and Health Monitoring (manuscript under review), 2020.
Soczawa-Stronczyk, A.A. & Bocian, M., Gait coordination in overground walking with a virtual reality avatar, Royal Society Open Science 7, 2020, 200622. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.200622
Virtual reality can be a powerful tool enabling human locomotion studies, assuming it offers ecological validity against real-world settings. In our latest paper we have provided some of the first evidence for the applicability of virtual reality in research on pedestrian gait coordination while overground walking in dyads.
We have a full-time postdoc position available for 43 months, starting on February 1st, 2021. The postdoc will support activities undertaken within the project "Development of advanced pedestrian structural loading models calibrated with data from in situ measurements" funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange.
Full details on this opportunity are available here in Polish and here in English.
We have a fully-funded PhD position available for 42 months, starting on March 1st, 2021. The PhD student will support activities undertaken within the project "STRIDE - Development of advanced pedestrian structural loading models calibrated with data from in situ measurements" funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange.
Full details on this opportunity are available here.
Walking is a seemingly simple everyday activity serving to move the body in space. This is achieved by pushing feet against the ground hence generating ground reaction forces. The nature of these forces is well understood – we are pushing up against the ground to support the body against the action of gravity, we are pushing back to propel the body forward, and we are pushing sideways to enable bipedal gait and ensure that balance is maintained. Nevertheless, modelling pedestrian ground reaction forces remains a challenge in the structural engineering community.
We are gearing up for the opening of our lab on September 1st, 2020. Stay tuned for the latest news - we will post regular updates on our activities.