Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal Statement
Professor Pawel Niewczas leads the Advanced Sensors Team within the Institute for Energy and Environment at the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde. His main research interests centre on the advancement of photonic sensing methods and systems integration in applications that lie predominantly in power and energy sectors. He has carried out a unique portfolio of research programmes, generally focusing on optical and fibre based sensors, addressing such issues as sensor design, fabrication, packaging, deployment, and interrogation in challenging environments. The applications of his research include such areas as power system metering and protection; wind turbine structural health monitoring; downhole pressure, temperature, voltage and current measurement; and sensing in nuclear fission and fusion environments. He has published over 140 technical papers in this area and holds 6 granted patents. Externally, he is a co-founder and R&D Director of the spin-out company Synaptec.
Professor Niewczas is Director of the Graduate School in the EEE Department. He is also Director of the Electrical Power and Energy Systems (EPES) MSc Course.
Professor Niewczas is open to PhD project supervision for candidates interested in the above research domain.
Research Interests
Development and application of photonic sensors within power and energy industries, including such areas as power system metering and protection; wind turbine structural health monitoring; gas turbine monitoring; downhole and subsea pressure, temperature voltage and current measurement; sensing in nuclear fission and fusion environments; and other sensing applications.
Research interest in intrinsic and hybrid fibre-optic sensors; sensor design, fabrication, encapsulation and deployment; sensor networks and interrogation techniques; signal processing and communication.
Professor Niewczas is open to PhD project supervision for candidates interested in the above research domain.
Expertise & Capabilities
Sensor development
- Development of spectrally encoded sensor devices exploiting intrinsic and hybrid sensing mechanisms
- Development of fibre-to-metal bonds, seals and fabrication techniques
- Fundamental research in the area of materials science
Sensor instrumentation and metrology
- High frequency measurements
- Static measurements
- Nano-ε resolution measurements
- Extended step-out and multiplexed systems
- Integrated photonics, low-cost/high-performance FBG interrogation techniques
Measurement capabilities
- temperature, strain (static & dynamic), pressure
- magnetic/ electric fields, voltage, current, bend
Delivery of industrially focussed projects
- Good understanding of industry needs
- Experience of projects with tight timescales and tangible outcomes
Professor Niewczas is open to PhD project supervision for candidates interested in the above research domain.
Industrial Relevance
Present and former industrial collaborators:
Scottish Power Renewables (SPR), Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), EDF Energy, Toshiba, The Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF), ConocoPhillips, GE OIL & GAS, Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE), and Rolls-Royce.
Teaching Interests
Teaching Responsibilities:
- EE108/19260 Electrical Circuits
- EE269 Electronic & Electrical Principles II
- EE986 Professional Studies
- Final Year Project/MSc/MPhil/PhD/EngD Student Supervisor
Teaching Administration Responsibilities:
- Graduate School Deputy Director
- Director of the Electrical Power Engineering with Business (EPEwB) MSc Course
- Academic Selector for the MSc Course in EEE
- Member of the Courses & Teaching Working Group
- Member of the 1st and 2nd Year Teaching and Learning Groups
- Member of the Faculty Board of Study
- UCAS Interviewer
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, Implementation of a Faraday Effect Based Optical Current Transducer Using Digital Signal Processing Techniques, UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE
Award Date: 1 Jan 2000
Master of Science, Utilisation of Optoelectronic Devices in Control Systems of Static Power Converters, Lublin University of Technology
Award Date: 1 Jan 1995
Keywords
- sensors
- fibre optics
- photonics
- metrology
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Photonic Supervision for Grid Resilience and Capacity Expansion (PHOENIX)
Niewczas, P. (Principal Investigator), Coffele, F. (Co-investigator), Fusiek, G. (Co-investigator) & Melone, J. (Co-investigator)
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) formerly BIS
18/01/23 → 31/03/25
Project: Research
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EPSRC IAA: Enabling Smart Energy Networks with Digital Photonic Sensors (ESEnce)
Niewczas, P. (Co-investigator)
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
1/04/22 → 31/03/26
Project: Research - Internally Allocated
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Improved calibration method of the photonic current sensor for monitoring HVDC networks
Amiolemen, A., Fusiek, G. & Niewczas, P., Oct 2024, In: IEEE Sensors Letters. 8, 10, p. 1-4 4 p., 3503804.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Downloads (Pure) -
Design of a novel optical overhead line monitoring sensor
Marston, J., Fusiek, G. & Niewczas, P., Aug 2024, In: IEEE Sensors Letters. 8, 8, p. 1-4 4 p., 5000504.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)22 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Data for: "Design and Implementation of a Passive Autoranging Circuit for Hybrid FBG-PZT Photonic Current Transducer"
Mir, B. U. D. (Creator), Niewczas, P. (Creator) & Fusiek, G. (Creator), University of Strathclyde, 30 Apr 2024
DOI: 10.15129/18206014-b5a4-4b37-aef8-922803dc43ad
Dataset
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HVDC Protection and Fault Location using Optical Sensors
TZELEPIS, D. (Creator), Fusiek, G. (Creator), Niewczas, P. (Owner), Dysko, A. (Contributor), Booth, C. (Contributor), Nelson, J. (Contributor), Orr, P. (Contributor) & Gordon, N. (Contributor), University of Strathclyde, 16 Mar 2018
DOI: 10.15129/4a4dc275-f49f-49a2-a8ad-e621481b19cd
Dataset
Prizes
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"Highly Commended" title awarded to Synaptec Ltd and University of Strathclyde at the IET Innovation Awards 2014
Niewczas, P. (Recipient), 19 Nov 2014
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Winner in the "Best University Technology" category at the Fourth Annual UK Energy Innovation Awards 2014
Niewczas, P. (Recipient), 24 Apr 2014
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement (Journal)
Niewczas, P. (Guest editor)
1 Jul 2023 → 30 Oct 2023Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Journal or guest editorship
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General Co-Chair of the IEEE I2MTC 2024 Conference
Niewczas, P. (Participant)
1 May 2023 → 30 May 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Organiser of major conference