People
Meet our team
Dr Mateusz Bocian
LAB LEAD
Mateusz graduated with BEng degree in Civil Engineering from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh in 2009, being awarded the Watt Club Medal. He obtained a PhD scholarship funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) via Doctoral Training Account at the University of Bristol, for a project run in 2009-2014 jointly supported by the Department of Civil Engineering (Prof. John Macdonald) and the Department of Mechanical Engineering (Dr Jeremy Burn). In early 2014 he joined the Vibration Engineering Section at the University of Exeter as an Associate Research Fellow working on EPSRC-funded Platform Grant "Dynamic performance of large civil engineering structures: an integrated approach to management, design and assessment". Upon the completion of that project, he joined the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering at the University of Sheffield as a Research Associate working on EPSRC-funded project "Synchronisation in dynamic loading due to occupants of vibration-sensitive structures". In 2014-2015 Mateusz worked as a project engineer for Full Scale Dynamics, a specialist company offering consultancy services on vibration serviceability. Mateusz was appointed a Lecturer in Structural Dynamics at the University of Leicester in 2015. In 2015-2018 he was a Scientific Advisor at the Advanced Structural Dynamics Evaluation Centre (ASDEC) - the UK's first commercial 3D laser measurement and modal identification facility located within MIRA Technology Park. In 2016 he was awarded a Prospects Fund for the development of augmented reality platform for the visualisation of vibration data and in 2018 he was presented the Digital Innovation Partnership Award. In 2018 he was awarded funding to set up the Biomechanics & Immersive Technology Laboratory and in 2019 he was appointed the director of the Dynamics, Vibration & Acoustics Laboratory. He was a member of the multidisciplinary ensemble who won the Research Team of the Year Award at Discovering Excellence Staff Awards 2019. He was chosen as one of twenty Great Minds at the University of Leicester in 2019. Mateusz was a Co-Investigator (and Principal Investigator for Leicester) on £3.25M EPSRC-funded VSimulators project, which represents the highest investment ever made by the Research Councils UK (now UK Research and Innovation) in research on vibration serviceability. Mateusz is a Chartered Engineer registered with the Engineering Council UK and a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). He was an Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bristol between 2014 and 2022. In 2015-2018 he held a position of Guest Lecturer at the University of Leeds. In 2020-2024 he held the NAWA (Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange) fellowship funded through the Polish Returns programme at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, where he was awarded the degree of doctor habilitated in 2022 and became an Associate Professor. Mateusz is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (now AdvanceHE) and a member of the Engineering Professors' Council, International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), International Association for Bridge Maintenance and Safety (IABMAS) and Polish Group of Seismic and Paraseismic Engineering (PGISiP). He was appointed a member of the Royal Society International Exchanges Committee for the tenure which commenced on January 1st, 2024.
PAST MEMBERS AND AFFILIATED SCIENTISTS
Research associates and assistants
Dr Marco Teichgraeber
Marco worked in Dr Bocian's Lab in 2022-2024. He is a member of the Department of Roads, Bridges, Railways and Airports within the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Wrocław University of Science and Technology.
Bronisław (Bronek) Czaplewski
Bronek worked in Dr Bocian's Lab in 2021-2024. He is a member of the Department of Mechanics of Structures and Urban Engineering within the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Wrocław University of Science and Technology.
PhD Students
Dr Wentao Yin
Wentao completed a doctoral project under the supervision of Dr Mateusz Bocian and Prof. Jingzhe Pan at the University of Leicester, UK, in 2024. His disertation was entitled "Crowd dynamics and its consequences for structural stability".
Dr Mohammad Sanad Almutairi
Mohammad completed a doctoral project under the supervision of Prof. Nikolaos Nikitas, Dr Onur Avci, Dr Osama Abdeljaber and Dr Mateusz Bocian within the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds, UK, in 2023. His disertation was entitled "Structural damage identification in an occupied grandstand using one-dimensional convolutional neural networks".
Dr Jennifer Sudkamp
Jennifer completed a doctoral project under the supervision of Dr David Souto, Dr Mateusz Bocian and Dr Claire Hutchinson within the School of Psychology and Vision Sciences at the University of Leicester, UK, in 2023. Her disertation was entitled "Should I stay or should I go? Perceiving and sampling vehicle motion at the roadside".
Dr Rory Elias White
Rory completed a doctoral project under the supervision of Dr Nicholas Alexander, Prof. John H.G. Macdonald and Dr Mateusz Bocian at the University of Bristol, UK, in 2022. His disertation was entitled "Non-linear assessment of human-structure interactions".
Dr Maksat Kalybek
Maksat completed a doctoral project under the supervision of Dr Mateusz Bocian, Prof. Jingzhe Pan and Dr Nikolaos Nikitas at the University of Leicester, UK, in 2022. His disertation was entitled "Modal analysis and finite element model updating of civil engineering structures using camera-based vibration monitoring systems". He went on to become a Reserach Fellow at the University College London (UCL), UK, working on the project "Design of next generation of helidecks for lighthouses".
Dr Artur Adam Soczawa-Stronczyk
Artur completed a doctoral project under the supervision of Dr Mateusz Bocian and Prof. Stephen Garrett at the University of Leicester, UK, in 2021. His disertation was entitled "Pedestrian-pedestrian interaction and its effect on vibration serviceability". He went on to become a member of the Bridge Engineering and Civil Structures team within the London office of Buro Happold.