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Staff Profiles

Dr Katarzyna Polak-Krasna

PhD

Contact Details

Lecturer, Biomedical Engineering
Alice Perry Building
T: +353 (0) 91 49 2538
E: k.polak-krasna@nuigalway.ie
twitter: @DrPolakKrasna, @InSilcEU
 
researcher
 

Biography

Kate did her MSc Eng degree in Biomedical Engineering with specialisation in Biomechanics at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology. She worked on spinal cord structures and Finite Element modelling of soft tissue. She obtained her PhD in the field of electrospun biomaterials for tissue engineering applications from Leuphana University Lueneburg in Germany. After that she worked at University of Bath in the UK in the field of Polymers and Materials Science for actuation and hydrogen storage applications. Her second postdoc at NUIG was in the field of bioresorbable materials for stent applications. In 2019 she was appointed a Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at NUIG and has since been working on smart materials development, characterisation and modelling.

Research Interests

  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Mechanical properties of soft and hard tissue
  • Finite Element modelling
  • Smart scaffolds for Neural Tissue Engineering
  • Biodegradation of polymers
  • Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds
  • Piezoelectric materials
  • Additive manufacturing, electrospinning

Research Projects

  Project Start Date End Date
In-silico trials for drug-eluting BVS design, development and validation

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2019) 'The denticulate ligament - Tensile characterisation and finite element micro-scale model of the structure stabilising spinal cord'
Polak-Kraśna K;Robak-Nawrocka S;Szotek S;Czy¿ M;Gheek D;Pezowicz C; (2019) 'The denticulate ligament - Tensile characterisation and finite element micro-scale model of the structure stabilising spinal cord'. Journal Of The Mechanical Behavior Of Biomedical Materials, 91 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Nanoporous polymer-based composites for enhanced hydrogen storage'
Tian, M;Rochat, S;Polak-Krasna, K;Holyfield, LT;Burrows, AD;Bowen, CR;Mays, TJ (2019) 'Nanoporous polymer-based composites for enhanced hydrogen storage'. Equilibria And Dynamics Of Gas Adsorption On Heterogeneous Solid Surfaces, 25 :889-901 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Hydrogen Storage and Mechanical Properties of Polymer-Based Composites'
Rochat, S;Polak-Krasna, K;Tian, M;Mays, TJ;Bowen, CR;Burrows, AD (2019) 'Hydrogen Storage and Mechanical Properties of Polymer-Based Composites'. International Journal Of Hydrogen Energy, 44 :332-337 [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'Assessment of the long-term stability of the polymer of intrinsic microporosity PIM-1 for hydrogen storage applications'
Katarzyna Polak-Kraśna, Sébastien Rochat, Mi Tian, Timothy J. Mays, Christopher R. Bowen, Andrew D. Burrows (2019) 'Assessment of the long-term stability of the polymer of intrinsic microporosity PIM-1 for hydrogen storage applications'. International Journal Of Hydrogen Energy, 44 (1):332-337 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'Hydrogen storage in polymer-based processable microporous composites†'
Sébastien Rochat, Katarzyna Polak-Kraśna, Mi Tian, Leighton T. Holyfield, Timothy J. Mays, Christopher R. Bowen, Andrew D. Burrows (2017) 'Hydrogen storage in polymer-based processable microporous composites†'. Journal Of Materials Chemistry A, 5 :18752-18761 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'Mechanical characterisation of polymer of intrinsic microporosity PIM-1 for hydrogen storage applications'
Katarzyna Polak-Kraśna, Robert Dawson, Leighton T. Holyfield, Chris R. Bowen, Andrew D. Burrows, Timothy J. Mays (2017) 'Mechanical characterisation of polymer of intrinsic microporosity PIM-1 for hydrogen storage applications'. Journal Of Materials Science, 52 :3862-3875 [DOI] [Details]
(2017) 'AFM imaging and nanoindentation of polymer of intrinsic microporosity PIM-1'
Polak-Krasna, K;Fuhrhop, C;Rochat, S;Burrows, AD;Georgiadis, A;Bowen, CR;Mays, TJ (2017) 'AFM imaging and nanoindentation of polymer of intrinsic microporosity PIM-1'. International Journal Of Hydrogen Energy, 42 (37):23915-23919 [DOI] [Details]
(2014) 'Biomechanical characteristics of the porcine denticulate ligament in different vertebral levels of the cervical spine-preliminary results of an experimental study'
Polak K;Czyż M;Ścigała K;Jarmundowicz W;Będziński R; (2014) 'Biomechanical characteristics of the porcine denticulate ligament in different vertebral levels of the cervical spine-preliminary results of an experimental study'. Journal Of The Mechanical Behavior Of Biomedical Materials, 34 [DOI] [Details]

Books

  Year Publication
(2015) Modelling and mechanical characterisation of electrospun nonwoven nanofibrous fabric.
Katarzyna Polak-Kraśna (2015) Modelling and mechanical characterisation of electrospun nonwoven nanofibrous fabric. Göttingen: Sierke. [Details]

Conference Publications

  Year Publication
(2015) 2015 IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications (MeMeA)
K. Polak-Kraśna, A. Georgiadis and P. Heikkilä (2015) Mechanical characterisation and modelling of electrospun materials for biomedical application 2015 IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications (MeMeA) Turin, Italy, , 07-MAY-15 - 09-MAY-15 [DOI] [Details]

Teaching Interests

  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Mechanical properties of soft and hard tissue
  • Finite Element modelling
  • Biodegradation of polymers
  • Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds
  • Design of Tissue Engineering scaffolds
  • Piezoelectric materials
  • Additive manufacturing, electrospinning

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
2020-2021 Surgical and Medical Biodesign BME3102
2019-2020 Engineering Analysis for Regulatory Approval BME4103
2019-2020 Materials I BME2100
2020-2021 Engineering Computing I CT1110 Matlab