Australian technology company Advanced Navigation, maker of fibreoptic gyroscopes and other devices, has appointed Pawel Michalak as its Chief Technology Officer.
With an eye to the vulnerabilities implicit in today’s primary reliance on GNSS systems, the company is aiming to develop an ‘extreme deep tech fusion’ for positioning, navigation and timing by integrating photonic, quantum, acoustic and AI-driven technologies to ensure assured navigation for many types of needs, including sub-surface and deep space.
Michalak will be responsible for leading the company’s shift to a positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) architecture that isn’t reliant on a single source.
“There was once a time where we could rely solely on satellite data for navigation, however that’s no longer the case,” said Advanced Navigation’s CEO, Chris Shaw.
“In today’s world, we need to treat signal anomalies, disruptions and unreliability as a given. This requires a fundamental shift in the way we go about building resilience and autonomy.
“Pawel has the acumen to translate empirical research into breakthrough technologies for the real world, at speed. He brings the rare combination of academic depth, industrial knowledge and long-term vision required to build the next generation of PNT systems — not just for today’s challenges, but for those yet to emerge.”
Michalak’s appointment comes only weeks after the company announced the appointment of Michelle Toscan as its new Head of APAC.
Michalak will take charge of Advanced Navigation’s goal to develop a ‘nervous system’ of autonomous platforms operating across subsea, land, air and space.
“There is no one silver bullet in navigation. The future of positioning, navigation and timing will be fully resilient and autonomous, built on the fusion of raw data from inertial, laser, vision, quantum, and other advanced sensors,” said Michalak.
“Together, these technologies form the nervous system of robotics, with inertial navigation acting as the central spine. Like the human body, this architecture feeds trusted signals to the brain, enabling the autonomy controller to understand where it is, how it is moving, and how to make decisions — even when GPS signals disappear.”
Prior to Advanced Navigation, Michalak led digital transformation at Fugro, directing global teams across engineering, AI and robotic programs.
He holds a PhD in satellite geodesy, an MBA, and postgraduate qualifications from Stanford University, Warsaw University of Technology, and Business School Lausanne in the Netherlands and Switzerland.
“The opportunity here is not incremental or blindfolded innovation. It is to change how the world navigates, from defence, humanitarian response, energy transition to climate science and autonomous exploration,” Michalak added.
“Advanced Navigation is daring to do what others won’t, and I look forward to bringing this ambitious vision into reality with the team.”
