On the eve of the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, Tallinn University of Technology recognises its best and brightest: construction professor Jarek Kurnitski has been named Researcher of the Year, while power engineering researcher Oleksandr Husev has been named Junior Researcher of the Year.
Jarek Kurnitski is a researcher with an international reach in the field of building energy efficiency and indoor climate; his most recent areas of research include how indoor climate solutions could be used to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
As head of the European Near-Zero Energy Buildings Working Group, he has developed technical bases at a European level for the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and has been involved in the development of European standards. He has been a member of two expert panels at the World Health Organization (WHO), which contributed to the development of the WHO’s roadmap to improve and ensure good indoor ventilation in the context of COVID-19.
In an article published in the journal Science last May, he and 38 of the world’s top scientists presented a new approach to building ventilation, which constitutes a paradigm shift in the need for technical solutions for ventilation in buildings: applying the respiratory infection criterion in the design and construction of ventilation systems would enable the indoor climate of public spaces to be made safe for people even during epidemics.
Kurnitski has published more than 300 papers in basic research and applied science journals, has won several research awards from European and Scandinavian professional organisations, was TalTech’s Researcher of the Year in 2015, and won the Estonian National Research Award in technical sciences in 2018.
As Senior Research Scientist at the Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics, TalTech’s Junior Researcher of the Year Oleksandr Husev has developed several useful models in collaboration with his colleagues. He is a consistent and active author and his research papers are published in top professional journals which are widely cited.
Husev contributes actively to the development of TalTech’s co-operation with other leading European Universities, such as Aalborg University (Denmark), University of Extremadura (Spain), Uninova (Portugal), Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology (Poland), and Novosibirsk State Technical University (Russia).
He has supervised three successfully defended doctoral theses and is currently acting as a supervisor to three doctoral students.
The recognition of TalTech’s researchers on the eve of the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia is a wonderful tradition. Previous Researchers of the Year include, for example, Margus Viigimaa and Targo Kalamees. Meanwhile, the title of Junior Researcher of the Year has also been awarded to Juri Belikov and Ralf-Martin Soe.
The title of Researcher of the Year is awarded to a researcher with outstanding achievements in the management of research and development projects, supervision of doctoral theses, and publishing of research results in high-level scientific journals.
The title of Junior Researcher of the Year is awarded to a researcher up to the age of 35 with outstanding achievements in research and development, professional research forums, supervision of doctoral students, and involvement of students in research and development activities.
Tallinn University of Technology recognised the most outstanding scientists, research articles, and projects of the past year at a ceremony held on 22 February in celebration of the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.
Aasta noorteadlane Oleksandr Husev on elektroenergeetika ja mehhatroonika instituudi vanemteadurina koos kolleegidega loonud mitmeid kasulikke mudeleid; ta on järjepidev ja aktiivne publitseerija ning tema teadusartikleid avaldatakse kõrgetasemelistes erialaajakirjades ning artiklid leiavad väga aktiivset tsiteerimist.
Ta aitab oma valdkonnas aktiivselt kaasa Tehnikaülikooli koostöö arendamisele teiste Euroopa juhtivate ülikoolidega, nagu Aalborgi Ülikool (Taani), Extremadura Ülikool (Hispaania), Uninova Ülikool (Portugal), Varssavi Elektrotehnikainstituut (Poola), Novosibirski Riiklik Tehnikaülikool (Venemaa).
Tema juhendamisel on edukalt kaitstud kolm doktoritööd ja praegu juhendab ta kolme doktoranti.
TalTechi teadlaste tunnustamine vabariigi aastapäeva eel on kauniks traditsiooniks. Varasemalt on aasta teadlase tiitli saanud näiteks Margus Viigimaa ja Targo Kalamees. Aasta noorteadlaseks on valitud Juri Belikov ja Ralf-Martin Soe.
Aasta teadlase tiitel antakse teadlasele, kellel on silmapaistvad saavutused teadus- ja arendusprojektide juhtimisel, doktoritööde juhendamisel ja teadussaavutuste publitseerimisel kõrgetasemelistes teadusajakirjades.
Aasta noorteadlase tiitel antakse kuni 35-aastasele teadlasele, kellel on silmapaistvaid saavutusi teadus- ja arendustegevuses, erialastel teadusfoorumitel, doktorantide juhendamisel ning üliõpilaste kaasamisel teadus- ja arendustegevusse.
Tallinna Tehnikaülikool tunnustas 22. veebruaril Eesti Vabariigi aastapäeva tähistamiseks toimunud pidulikul aktusel möödunud aasta silmapaistvamaid teadlasi, teadusartikleid ja projekte.