Jan Badziak

Professor of Technical Sciences

Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IFPiLM), Warsaw
Specialist in plasma physics and laser thermonuclear fusion.

✉ jan.badziak@ifpilm.pl

Professional Biography

Jan Badziak was born in Pabianice in 1946. After graduating from high school, he studied for two years at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Lodz University of Technology, and then at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry of the University of Lodz, where he earned a Master of Science in Physics in 1971. He received his PhD in Engineering Sciences and then his DSc degree in Engineering Sciences from the Faculty of Electronics of the Military University of Technology (MUT) in Warsaw in 1976 and 1984, respectively. The title of Professor of Engineering Sciences was awarded to him by the President of the Republic of Poland in 1998.

Jan Badziak began his professional career in 1971 as a research assistant at the Institute of Quantum Electronics of the MUT. From October 1972, he worked for two years as a senior research and teaching assistant at the Institute of Physics, Lodz University of Technology. In October 1974, he returned to work at the Institute of Quantum Electronics of the MUT, as an assistant professor. Since 1976, he has worked at the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM) in Warsaw. At this institute, he held research positions as assistant professor, associate professor (from 1988), and professor (from 1998). At the IPPLM, he led research teams as a laboratory head (three times), department head (three times), and head of a research division. He also served as chairman and vice-chairman (four times) of the IPPLM Scientific Council.

During the initial period of his scientific career, until 2000, he conducted research and development work related to laser physics and laser technology. The results of this work included the design and construction of the largest pulsed laser systems in Poland, with powers reaching gigawatts (CO2 gas laser) and terawatts (solid-state laser). Since 2000, Jan Badziak's scientific activity has focused on theoretical and experimental research in the field of plasma physics and laser-induced thermonuclear fusion. Among other things, he has been conducting research on innovative laser-driven particle and plasma accelerators and new variants of thermonuclear fusion induced by high-power lasers. The research results of Jan Badziak have been published in nearly 300 papers in international scientific journals and have been the subject of about 200 presentations and lectures at international and national scientific conferences.

Jan Badziak has also been involved in teaching, primarily focusing on the education of young scientists. He supervised the MSc, PhD and DSc theses of the teams he led, in particular he was supervisor of 5 completed PhD theses.

For his research achievements, he was awarded the Gold and Silver Cross of Merit and received ministerial distinctions.

A more detailed description of Jan Badziak's scientific, organizational, and teaching activities is presented in sections II-V of this document.

 

Education

MSc in Physics
1971
Specializing in theoretical physics
Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, University of Lodz
PhD in Engineering Sciences
1976
Specializing in quantum electronics
Faculty of Electronics, Military University of Technology
DSc in Engineering Sciences
1984
Specializing in quantum electronics
Faculty of Electronics, Military University of Technology
Professor of Engineering Sciences
1998
Title conferred by the President of the Republic of Poland

Positions and Functions

1. Research Positions

  • Research Assistant: 1971–72, Military University of Technology (Institute of Quantum Electronics).
  • Senior Research Assistant: 1972–74, Lodz University of Technology (Institute of Physics). 1974–75, Military University of Technology (Institute of Quantum Electronics).
  • Assistant Professor: 1976–1984, Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM).
  • Associate Professor: 1984–1998, IPPLM.
  • Professor: since 1998, IPPLM.

2. Organizational Functions and Positions

Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM)

  • Head of the Laboratory: 1976–1977, 1989–2006, 2015–2019
  • Deputy Head of the Laser Technology Division (4 research departments): 1978–80
  • Head of the Department: 1981–1987, 2007–2011, 2014–2015
  • Head of the Division (3 departments): 1987–1988
  • Head of the Division (2 departments): 2012–2013

 

  • Deputy Chairman of the IPPLM Scientific Council: 1991–2004, 2011–2014.
  • Chairman of the IPPLM Scientific Council: 2005-2008

Other scientific organizations

  • Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Center for New Energy Technologies,
  • Member of the Scientific Committees of many national and international scientific conferences,
  • Member of advisory boards of several international projects.

Scientific Activity

Jan Badziak's scientific activity can be divided into two periods.

During the first period, from 1971 to 2000, Jan Badziak conducted research in quantum electronics and laser technology. The topics of this research included, among others, theoretical and experimental work on the generation and amplification of laser pulses in solid and gaseous media, nonlinear propagation and multiphoton absorption of laser radiation, the generation of ultrashort (pico- and femtosecond) laser pulses, and various topics related to high-power pulsed lasers. The results of this research included, among others: two scientific dissertations (PhD and DSc theses), a scientific monograph (titled Excimer Lasers), two patents, and numerous scientific papers and conference presentations.

During this period, Jan Badziak established three unique research laboratories in Poland: the Pulsed CO₂ Laser Laboratory, the Excimer Laser Laboratory, and the High-Power Laser Laboratory (LLWM). In these laboratories, together with the teams he led, he conducted advanced design, construction, and research work on short-pulse (nanosecond) high-power CO₂ lasers, XeCl excimer lasers, and high-power laser systems generating ultra-short pulses (at LLWM). The results of this work included:

  • the construction of the largest short-pulse CO₂ laser system in Poland (and one of the few in Europe at the time) with a power of 10 GW (1010 W),
  • the construction of the first electron-beam-pumped excimer lasers in Poland,
  • the construction of a dual-beam neodymium glass nanosecond laser with a power of 60 GW,
  • the construction of a picosecond neodymium glass laser system with a power of 1 TW (1012 W), the first in Poland and one of the first in Europe.

He continued his work on the development of high-power lasers and their applications in scientific research also after 2000. As a result, the LLWM laboratory was equipped with the first femtosecond laser system in the country with a power of 10 TW, and unique diagnostic and measurement equipment for studying the interaction of ultrashort high-power laser radiation pulses with matter, and for studying high-temperature laser-generated plasma.

In the second period of his scientific career (after 2000), Jan Badziak focused on theoretical and experimental research in the field of plasma physics and laser thermonuclear fusion. His research includes studies on the interaction of pico- and femtosecond laser pulses of very high intensity with matter and the generation of high-temperature plasma, as well as research on innovative laser-driven accelerators of particles (protons, heavy ions) and plasma. A significant portion of his research is related to laser-driven thermonuclear fusion. In this area, he focuses on researching new variants of thermonuclear fusion: fusion with fuel ignition initiated by an intense laser-generated proton or ion beam, and fusion with ignition initiated by the impact of a laser-accelerated plasma projectile.

He conducts his research in extensive international collaboration with scientists from various European countries (including the Czech Republic, Italy, France, and the UK), as well as the USA, Japan, and Australia. During this period, he has led more than a dozen national and international projects and participated in numerous other international projects. Experiments conducted within these projects are primarily conducted at large European laser facilities (in the Czech Republic, France, and the UK) and also employ picosecond and femtosecond lasers at the LLWM laboratory, which he founded. The results of his research are published in prestigious scientific journals and presented at international conferences in Europe, the USA, Japan, and Australia.

Jan Badziak's scientific achievements throughout his professional career include:

  • 1 scientific monograph,
  • 2 scientific dissertations,
  • nearly 300 scientific papers (authored or co-authored) in international journals (a list of these papers can be found at orcid.org/0000-0002-8687-1688 and in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, while a list of 100 papers selected from his published works is presented in the Appendix),
  • nearly 200 lectures and presentations at international and national conferences,
  • 3 patents,
  • several dozen reports and internal studies.

The Hirsch index for his published scientific papers is H ≥ 37 (in 2026), the highest among scientists working in the field of plasma physics and thermonuclear fusion in Poland.

In 2025, Jan Badziak was named to the prestigious Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists List, recognizing the 2% most influential scientists in the world.

Teaching Activities

Student Education

  • Tutoring students in the subjects "Exercises in Physics" and "Physics Laboratory" offered at the Faculty of Physics, Lodz University of Technology (1972–74).
  • Taught two subjects: "Fundamentals of Quantum Electronics and Nonlinear Optics" and "Fundamentals of Laser Technology" for Military University of Technology students pursuing individual studies at the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM) (1978–88).
  • Supervision or oversight of master's theses carried out in the departments and laboratories of IPPLM managed by Jan Badziak.

Teaching Research Staff

  • Supervisor of 5 completed PhD theses.
  • Organizational and substantive supervision over the preparation of PhD and DSc theses in the teams led by Jan Badziak.

Other

  • Reviews of PhD theses (domestic and international) as well as DSc and professorship proceedings.
  • Reviews of scientific projects (domestic and international).
  • Reviews of dozens of articles in scientific journals.
  • Expert opinions.
  • Conference and seminar lectures for the physics community.

Appendix – List of 100 selected publications by Jan Badziak

ORCID: 0000-0002-8687-1688 · Scopus · Web of Science

Full list (~300 articles) available on ORCID, Scopus and Web of Science.
orcid.org/0000-0002-8687-1688