Author: Nils Johansson

The danish institute of fire and security technology (DBI) is looking for a self-motivated and independent  professional, holding a PhD in a relevant field, and interested in bridging the gap between research and real world applications. 
The successful candidate will be a part of a multi-cultural team, working under the guidance of esteemed professors from Aarhus University, the University of South-Eastern Norway and the local supervision at DBI.

Interested researchers can read more and apply here before 15th September 20!

The doctoral position relates to the use and testing of tools and models for fire risk analysis and decision support related to fire safety design and/or firefighting in complex scenarios and environments! Read more and apply here: https://lu.varbi.com/what:job/jobID:621837/?lang=en

The Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology (DBI) is looking for a highly qualified candidate for an Industrial Postdoc position in a project on experimental and modelling investigations of hybrid steel-timber construction details in fire. The project is a collaboration between DBI and the University of Sheffield, Dept. of Civil & Structural Eng., UK. 

Read more here.

 Applications are invited for a fully funded three-year PhD scholarship in computational fluid dynamics simulation of wildfires, to work under the supervision of Dr Andres Valencia (UC Senior Supervisor), Dr Greg Baker (Fire Research Group Limited), Dr Tara Strand and Mr Grant Pearce of Scion, and Professor Daniel Nilsson and Dr Marwan Katurji of UC. The scholarship is co-funded by Fire Research Group Limited and the University of Canterbury. 

Se more information here.

The division of fire safety engineering at Lund University is looking for a PhD student in the area of fire dynamics. Read more and apply here.

The Bushfire Behaviour and Management Group is currently advertising several PhD positions for commencement before the end of June 2021. International applicants must apply before the 30th of September 2020, and domestic applicants before the 30th of October 2020. Please contact Trent Penman ([email protected]) as soon as possible for more information or to discuss preliminary ideas and potential projects. 

Research Environment 

The Bushfire Behaviour and Management Group is part of The University of Melbourne’s School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences. Our team aims to improve a strong scientific basis for the prediction of wildfire behaviour and the impact of wildfires in order to identify management strategies that reduce the risk of damage to human values while maintaining environmental values in the landscape. Research within the team covers the key themes of fire behaviour, fire management, ecosystem and landscape fire feedbacks, fire risk assessment and future fire regimes. Our diverse team includes ecologists, engineers, software engineers and data analysts. 

We have a range of projects and supervisors available. Successful applicants will contribute to cutting edge research in fire behaviour, risk modelling and fire management. Projects may involve laboratory and/or field experiments, as well as computer modelling. 

All applicants must satisfy the entry requirements for the PhD course at the University of Melbourne (https://study.unimelb.edu.au/find/courses/graduate/doctor-of-philosophy-arts/entry-requirements/). Furthermore, applicants are expected to apply for a Research Higher Degree scholarship and will only be accepted if successful (https://scholarships.unimelb.edu.au/awards/graduate-research-scholarships). 

1. Fine-scale Modelling in Fire Management 

Supervisors: Dr Alexander Filkov, Assoc Prof Trent Penman, Dr Jane Cawson and Dr Luke Collins 

Physics-based modelling provides unique opportunities to understand fire behaviour in unprecedented detail. They are capable of including wind flow dynamics, role of radiative and convective heat in fire propagation. Operational fire behaviour simulators cannot provide this information due to their coarse temporal resolution. Fuel management covers a range of techniques which aim to alter fuel load and structure to reduce fire risk. Often these treatments are undertaken at small spatial scales or with high heterogeneity making them difficult to include in fire risk modelling. As such, there is little quantitative understanding of how alternative fuel treatments alter fire behaviour, and therefore landscape fire risk. This project will investigate the effect of fuel structure and arrangement on fire. The primary focus of the project will be to apply a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model using experiments in the laboratory and in the field. 

Position Requirements 

The successful applicant will have a background in mechanical/fire protection engineering, computer science, applied mathematics and statistics or any related field. A background or knowledge of CFD modelling and fire simulation tools such as Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) is highly desirable. The successful candidate should have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills and strong written and verbal communication skills. Applicants must satisfy the University of Melbourne entry requirements for the PhD course. 

University of California, Riverside, is inviting postdoctoral position. See the following description

“We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar position at the University of California, Riverside, focused on the atmospheric modeling and analysis of biomass burning emissions from prescribed fire practices. The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary team of researchers and engineers seeking to optimize prescribed burn decision-making using a variety of techniques, including airborne and surface observations alongside integrated atmospheric and fire physics modeling. Specific goals for the modeling component of the project relevant to this position include improved model representation of physical and chemical processes related to prescribed fire and air quality (e.g. biomass burning emissions, fire plume dynamics, and secondary pollutant formation), as well as the application of these model improvements to the development of rapid response tools capable of quickly and efficiently evaluating prescribed fire air-quality risks. Expected starting date for this position is September 28, 2020. 

Required qualifications for this position include: 

• • a PhD in chemistry, physics, engineering, atmospheric science, or other related field 
• • direct experience setting up and running CMAQ in a high-performance computing environment, as well as analyzing and visualizing model output 
• • some familiarity with Fortran coding 
• • computational analysis skills, including expertise in a scripting language platform such as Python, R, or MATLAB 
• • demonstrated success working and communicating in a team environment 
• • excellent communication and presentation skills 
• • strong scientific publication record 

This postdoctoral scholar will work directly with Professor William Porter in the Department of Environmental Sciences at UC Riverside, and will collaborate with team members at the US Department of Energy National Labs, the US Forest service, and other collaborating UC schools. Responsibilities will include setting up, modifying, and running CMAQ simulations; integrating inputs from fire physics and atmospheric dynamics models; developing improved emissions, chemistry, and plume dynamics parameterizations; and disseminating results through scientific publications and presentations. 

Initial appointment will be for one year and will be renewable for up to two additional years, subject to performance and availability of funding. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. 

UCR is a world-class research university with an exceptionally diverse undergraduate student body. Its mission is explicitly linked to providing routes to educational success for underrepresented and first-generation college students. A commitment to this mission is a preferred qualification. UCR is an EEO/AA/ADA/Vets Employer. 

Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references by email to [email protected]. Screening of applicants will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. “