Prof. Ryszard Pawlak is a graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (now the Faculty of Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering ). In 1982 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences at this Faculty. In 2002 he was awarded a doctor habilitowany degree (a postdoctoral degree )for his dissertation entitled: "Laser modification of the properties of conductive materials". Since 2007 he has been the Head of the Institute of Electrical Engineering Systems at the Faculty of Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering.
Prof. Pawlak's research interests include the interaction of laser radiation with materials and microtechnological applications of lasers. He is the author of four original technologies in this field.
As a part of the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD he did a research internship in the largest laser research center in Europe - Fraunhofer Institut für Lasertechnik in Aachen, as well as internships in LETI (Leningradskoj Elektrotechniczeskij Institut), Russia, Technische Universität Berlin, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunia (Barcelona) and Universiteit Gent.
Academic achievements of Prof. Ryszard Pawlak include authorship of two research monographs, 2 chapters in monographs, 2 academic textbooks, 35 articles in scholarly journals, including 20 in journals indexed in Journal Citation Reports, 48 papers published in international conferences proceedings. Professor Pawlak is also a co-inventor of 3 patents. He has supervised two doctors of technical sciences.
Professor Pawlak has headed teams implementing 6 grants funded by the State Committee for Scientific Research (KBN), the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MNiSW), the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR), the EU (European Regional Development Programme), and the European Space Agency.
Prof. Ryszard Pawlak was Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering at TUL in the years 2005-2008. He is a member of the Programme Council at the Centre for Laser Technologies of
Metals at the Kielce University of Technology and the Polish Academy of Sciences. For his accomplishments he was awarded the Silver Cross of Merit (2004), Gold Medal for Long Service (2010), Medal of the National Education Commission (2015), Badge of "Merit to Lodz University of Technology" (2005), Silver Honorary Badge of the Association of Polish Electrical Engineers.
Prof. Pawlak's non-scientific interests include travel, historical literature, and skiing.