Karol Pietrak

Functions within the Institute and WUT:

• Assistant Professor in the ITC
• Faculty Editor of the WUT Base of Knowledge

Key research areas:

• Numerical modeling of conductive transport
• Inverse thermal problems
• Heat and mass transfer in heterogeneous media
• Hygrothermal characterization of building materials

Topics of intermediate and diploma projects:

• Modeling of conductive transport in heterogeneous media
• Heat and mass transfer problems
• Optimization and machine learning in thermal and materials engineering
• Inverse problems

Teaching courses:

• Thermodynamics (lecture and tutorials for the external studies, in Polish)
• Introduction to programming (lab and lectures, in Polish)
• Intergrated laboratory (lab, in Polish)
• Thermodynamics 1 (tutorials, in Polish)

Recent publications:

• P. Brzyski, Ł. Cieślikiewicz, K. Pietrak, and P. Łapka, “The combined effect of gum arabic and casein on selected parameters of lime-metakaolin paste and hemp concrete for use as wall material,” J. Build. Eng., vol. 123, pp. 1–22, 2026, doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2026.115824.
• K. Pietrak, M. Krakowiak, Ł. Cieślikiewicz, P. Brzyski, and P. Łapka, “Magnesium-hemp concrete is less vapor-permeable than lime-hemp concrete while the cup method is still problematic,” Build. Environ., vol. 280, pp. 1–8, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113112.
• K. Pietrak and K. Kozłowski, “On Sample Arrangement Effects in Cup Method Environmental Chamber Testing of Hemp Concrete,” Sustainability, vol. 17, Art. no. 22, 2025, doi: 10.3390/su172210185.
• K. Pietrak, “Inverse Estimation of Biochar Conductivity and Constituent Densities in Ceramic–Carbon Composites Using a GPR-Assisted Percolation Model,” Ceram. Int., vol. 51, Art. no. 28 B, 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2025.10.011.
• P. Brzyski, K. Pietrak, Ł. Cieślikiewicz, and P. Łapka, “Hygrothermal and Mechanical Characterization of Hemp Concrete Modified with Acid Casein Admixture,” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., vol. 37, Art. no. 5, 2025, doi: 10.1061/jmcee7.mteng-18900.
• P. Latko-Durałek et al., “The composites of cross-linked polyethylene with enhanced thermal conductivity,” J. Therm. Anal. Calorim., vol. 149, pp. 1–12, 2024, doi: 10.1007/s10973-024-13000-2.
• P. Łapka, P. Brzyski, K. Pietrak, Ł. Cieślikiewicz, and Z. Suchorab, “Hygro-thermal characterization of the hemp concrete modified with the gum Arabic admixture,” Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 368, pp. 1–13, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.130392.
• K. Pietrak, M. Krakowiak, and P. Łapka, “Experimental verification of conditions within the cups in the cup method of water vapor permeability measurement,” J. Phys. CS, vol. 2423, Art. no. 1, 2023, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2423/1/012009.
• K. Pietrak, P. Furmański, and P. Łapka, “Effective thermal conductivity of composites with anisotropic particles of various shapes embedded in an isotropic matrix,” J. Phys. CS, vol. 2423, Art. no. 1, 2023, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2423/1/012019.
• K. Pietrak, M. Krakowiak, and P. Łapka, “Comparison of performance of lime- and magnesia-based hempcrete in water vapour permeability tests,” in 7th Central and Eastern European Conference on Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - book of abstracts, J. Kučerík, P. Šiler, and A. Rotaru, Eds., SITECH, 2023, pp. 128–128.
• full list, WUT Base of Knowledge
• Google Scholar page

Participation in research projects:

• 2021-2023: Development of innovative geothermal systems based on new probes with increased heat exchange efficiency applicable in vertical ground heat exchangers, acronym: GeoRura
• 2020-2022: Manufacturing technology of building products made of ecological high performance fibre composites with encapsulated PCM for the NZEB application, M-ERA.NET2- acronym: HEMP4NZEB

• 2021-2023: Development of innovative geothermal systems based on new probes with increased heat exchange efficiency applicable in vertical ground heat exchangers, Project No: POIR.01.01.01-00-0188/20

• 2017-2020: DryWall - Development of an innovative technology for drying and insulating of walls (National Center for Research and Development, POIR.04.01.02-00-0099/16)
• 2013-2016: INNOOS -Development of a system of innovative test stands for examination of personal protective equipment (National Center for Research and Development, O-ROB/ 0011/03/001)
• 2012-2013: TERMET – New functional materials of increased thermal conductivity (EU fund Innovative Economy, POIG.01.01.02-00-097/09)

Organizational activity:

• peer reviewer for journals: Construction and Building Materials, Journal of Building Engineering, Building and Environment, Thermochimica Acta, International Journal of Solids and Structures, International Journal of Materials Research, eXPRESS Polymer Letters, Buildings, Applied Sciences, Construction Materials, Energies, Acta Physica Polonica, Machine learning and knowledge extraction, Journal of Cleaner production; full list: Karol Pietrak (0000-0003-4723-1263) - ORCID
• Organizational committee member of 2020 conference "20th Congress of Thermodynamicists (ZT2020), hosted in Warsaw, Poland.
• since 2018 - editor of the web page of Division of Thermodynamics
• Faculty Editor of the WUT Base of Knowledge

Other:

• hobbies: making music, cybernetics, philosophy of the mind

Educational materials and notes: