Dr Tomasz Kosmala: Young scientist with innovative approach to green energy
On June 30, the list of recipients of the Minister of Education and Science’s scholarships for outstanding young scientists was announced. Among them are five scientists from the University of Wrocław.
Scholarship of the Minister of Science and Higher Education was awarded this year to:
- dr Paweł Baranowski in social sciences/social communication sciences and media,
- dr Tomasz Kosmala in science/physical sciences,
- dr Marcin Grzegorz Kurpios in the humanities/literature studies,
- dr Wioleta Muras in the humanities/art sciences,
- dr Tomasz Paweł Woźniakowski in social sciences/political science and administration.
Today we present dr Tomasz Kosmala.
Dr Tomasz Kosmala is a renowned scientist specialising in surface physicochemistry and electrochemistry. He researches efficient methods of producing renewable energy and seeks innovative solutions for the green economy through the electrochemical process of splitting water to produce hydrogen. As a graduate of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Wrocław, dr Tomasz Kosmala continued his scientific career at renowned universities and research institutes in Europe, including Bonn, Rome and Padua, gaining experience in techniques such as electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy, ultra-high vacuum, doing research on liquid-solid systems.
His research focuses on finding efficient, stable and inexpensive electrocatalysts, which are key to green hydrogen production. Dr Kosmala is researching innovative electroactive materials using, among other things, a methodology he developed based on noise analysis of quantum tunneling current recorded using electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy. His scientific work attracts attention because of its innovative approach and practical application in the field of science.
He has authored and co-authored 28. publications in renowned international journals such as Nature Catalysis, Joule, Advanced Energy Materials, ACS Energy Letters, ACS Catalysis and others. His works have achieved a high citation rate, and his scientific achievements are recognised in the academic community. In addition, dr Tomasz Kosmala is a board member of the Polish Vacuum Society, where he shares his knowledge and experience with other scientists. In addition, since 2022, dr Kosmala has been pursuing a SONATA-17 (NCN) grant at the Institute of Experimental Physics titled “The SONATA-17 Grant. „Badania w skali atomowej i w czasie rzeczywistym materiałów 2D do magazynowania i konwersji energii” (“Atomic-scale and real-time studies of 2D materials for energy storage and conversion”) (2021/43/D/ST3/02873).
Currently, dr Kosmala is on a research trip at the University of Padova under the IDUB program “Support for Academic Staff Travel,” where he is conducting research on two-dimensional materials for the production of green hydrogen.
Bio
Dr. Tomasz Kosmala received his master’s degree in 2011 from the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Wrocław. In 2011, he moved to the University of Bonn (Germany), where he was hired as a researcher in the Surface & Interface Science Group, led by prof. Klaus Wandelt. There, in 2012, he began his doctoral studies. In 2016, he received his PhD in chemistry with magna cum laude distinction for his thesis titled, “Characterization of organic molecules at metal/electrolyte interfaces”. Parallel to his doctoral studies, he was professionally active in other research projects due to his experience in electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy techniques, as well as in the problems of liquid-solid phase systems.
In 2013-2014, he was employed at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome, in the research group of prof. C. Goletti, where he worked on the topic of model systems based on titanium oxides for applications in energy generation and storage within the framework of the GESTO project. He spent the years 2014-2020 at the University of Padua – first, for one year, in the group of Prof. A. Gennaro, working on the European project “CATHCAT: Novel catalyst materials for the cathode side of MEAs suitable for transportation applications” (FP7-JTI, no. 303492) and then, for the remaining 5 years, in the Surface Science and Catalysis Group (SSCG) of prof. Gaetano Granozzi, where he participated in four research projects, including: the European project “CRESCENDO: Critical Raw material Electrocatalysts replacement Enabling Designed, pOst-2020 PEMFC” (H2020-JTI-FCH-2017-779366) and the bilateral Italian-Chinese project “GINSENG: Graphene related INnovative 2D materials for Sustainable ENerGetIcs and catalysis” (PGR00953). During this time, he continued to study model systems based on novel two-dimensional materials and ultra-thin metal oxide films for electrocatalytic, energy storage and conversion applications.
In October 2020, he was hired as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Wrocław, at the Institute of Experimental Physics. In 2022, it received funding for a project titled „Badania w skali atomowej i w czasie rzeczywistym materiałów 2D do magazynowania i konwersji energii” under the NCN SONATA-17 competition) (2021/43/D/ST3/02873). In the same year, he was elected a member of the board of directors in the Polish Vacuum Society, as well as delivered a plenary lecture at the 10th National Nanotechnology Conference (3-8.07.2022, Kraków). In 2023, he was awarded a prestigious scholarship for outstanding young scientists by the Ministry of Education and Science.
Tomasz Kosmala has authored or co-authored 28. publications in international peer-reviewed journals such as Nat. Catal. (IF:41.813), Joule (46.048), Energy Environ. Sci. (IF: 38.532), Adv. Energy Mater. (IF: 29.368), ACS Energy Lett. (IF: 23.991), Appl. Catal. B Environ. (IF: 19.503), ACS Catal. (IF: 13.084), ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. (IF: 8.198).
The quantitative summary of dr Kosmala’s scientific achievements is as follows:
- Total number of publications: 28
- Summary impact factor (IF) of scientific publications according to the Journal of Citation Reports (JCR) list according to the year of publication.: 284.636
- Delivered conference lectures and presented posters: 11 (including 2 by invitation)
- Number of citations of publications according to WoS database(June 2023): 734
- Hirsch index according to WoS database (June 2023): 16
