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
Postdoc Fellow Battery Safety Research at FM Global
FM Global is interested in hiring a Postdoc Fellow to develop new scientific knowledge, technologies and engineering solutions to problems in the area of Lithium-ion battery safety research. Details of the position are available here.
Interested candidates can contact Dr. Yi Wang at [email protected].
Postdoctoral position on Thermal-Degradation and Emission Factor Modeling at San Jose State University
Please see more details in this link.
3 PhD positions at the University of Central Lancashire
The University of Central Lancashire invites applications for its Doctoral Training Center Studentships. Successful applicants will commence their studies September 2023.
Deadline is 31 March 2023 and information on the 3 positions are found bellow:
PhD No1: DTC35
Project Title: Utilisation of digital tools to enhance fire safety of occupants in high-rise residential buildings (HRRBs) during evacuation.
Industrial collaborator: OFR consultants (https://ofrconsultants.com/ )
PhD No2: DTC12-22-54
Project Title: Data-driven computational mechanics in fire engineering applications
Industrial collaborator: DELTA Fire Engineering (https://deltafireengineering.co.uk/ )
PhD No3: DTC12-22-55
Project Title: Deep-seated fires in waste and recycling facilities
Industrial collaborator: WISH (https://www.wishforum.org.uk/)
If you are interested in applying please follow the link below:
https://www.uclan.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/studentships
Informal project-related enquiries about the posts can be made to Dr. Eleni Asimakopoulou ([email protected])
PhD/Postdoc Fire Dynamics Modelling using Machine Learning Methods at Bergische Universität Wuppertal
Application via: https://cce.uni-wuppertal.de/en/news/ansicht/offene-stelle-doktorand-postdoc-1/
PhD/Postdoc Fire Dynamics Modelling using Machine Learning Methods
The official announcement (german / english) is provided here: Recruitment System BUW. In the following, an unofficial summary of the english version of the Job-ID 22709 is given.
This position is to be filled as soon as possible for 3 years with 75 % (PhD) or 100% (Post Doc) of the tariff working hours (part-time is possible, please state when applying whether you would also be interested in a part-time job).
We are an interdisciplinary and international team at the University of Wuppertal (BUW) and are looking for support for our research work in the field of computer-aided modelling in civil engineering, especially fire dynamics. This position is intended to expand our methodological spectrum to include approaches from machine learning. Support us in developing more efficient and precise fire spread models!
In numerical fire simulations, design fires are often used to determine the dynamics of the fire. However, this cannot take into account local conditions such as ventilation, heat interaction or material properties during fire propagation. Only by using a complex pyrolysis model, the dynamics of fire spread can be simulated self-consistently. The challenge here is that many material parameters are required, most of which are not known or directly measurable. By means of small-scale experiments, such as a thermogravimetric analysis or a cone calorimeter, in conjunction with inverse modelling, these parameters can be calculated with the help of supercomputers.
Within the framework of the BMBF-funded BESKID project, BUW is investigating new approaches based on artificial intelligence. These will be used to determine material parameters directly from small-scale experiments. The new model will provide material parameters for simulations of fire propagation, which will be used by the project consortium for validation and application studies. The project is being carried out in collaboration with industrial partners, the Research Centre Jülich (FZJ) and the Chair Fire Dynamics at BUW. The method development is based on small-scale laboratory experiments conducted at the FZJ. Thus, a close scientific exchange between the BUW and the FZJ is aimed at. In cooperation with the industrial partners, the methods are used for testing and validation in real-scale experiments in the application case of rail transport vehicles and compared with classical approaches.
Professional and personal requirements:
- Completed university studies (Master’s degree or comparable) in engineering, physics or a related field, desirably with a doctorate in the field of fire dynamics
- Expertise in the conception and implementation of scientific simulation models, as well as in the field of machine learning
- Experience in programming in Python or C++
- Willingness to work in an interdisciplinary and international team
- Strong interest in complex issues and basic research
- Good social and communication skills
- Very good knowledge of the English language
Responsibilities and duties:
- Development and application of computer models in fire dynamics
- Evaluation of experimental data for model validation
- Cooperation in national and international collaborations
- Participation in project meetings
- Presentation of results at meetings and conferences
- Preparation of interim and final reports
Our offer:
- Further training in the acquisition, processing and management of research projects, integration into personnel management and university teaching
- Embedding of research activities in an interdisciplinary and international research environment
- Opportunities for flexible working hours, support with childcare and suitable solutions for your individual life situation
Applications including all relevant credentials (motivation letter, CV, proof of a successful graduation and/or PhD, job references, letters of reference, links to software projects, proof of a severe disability) should be addressed to Prof. Dr. Lukas Arnold and solely submitted via the online portal of the University of Wuppertal. Kindly note, that incomplete applications will not be considered.
Application deadline: 08.01.2023
PhD (via MPhil) Studentship on Fire Safety at University of Central Lancashire
Link for application: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CVJ829/phd-via-mphil-studentship-in-engineering
Applications are invited for a PhD (via MPhil) studentship within the School of Engineering, based at the Preston (UK) Campus. The studentship is tenable for up to 3.5 years full-time (subject to satisfactory progress). The studentship will provide an annual stipend of £17,668 for 3.5 years. Both UK/Home and EU/International Applicants may apply but Tuition Fees will only be covered at the UK/Home rate for up to 3.5 years. EU/International Applicants would be expected to pay the difference between the UK/Home fee rate and EU/International fee rate. Other Allowances include up to £5,000 per annum bench fees.
It is expected the successful applicant will commence March 2023.
Project Title: Utilisation of digital tools to enhance fire safety of occupants in high-rise residential buildings (HRRBs) during evacuation
Project Description:
In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and given the increase of number of fire incidents in HRRBs around the world, e.g., Kaohsiung building in Taiwan (2021), Torre Dei Moro in Italy (2021), Madrid Tower Block in Spain (2020); fire safety of HRRBs is becoming increasingly important. Though there is an increased development of digital technologies, their application is not yet well established in fire research and evacuation. Proposed research aims to bridge this gap by providing a framework of good practices and recommendations to optimise efficiency of evacuation practices in HRRB using Building Information Modelling (BIM).
The key objectives of the proposed research will be to:
- Develop and validate numerical methodologies to assess effectiveness of evacuation strategies in HRRB
- Correlate factors influencing evacuation strategies in HRRB
- Develop good practices to drive forward improvements in HRRB fire safety
To achieve the above, numerous egress models, namely FDS+Evac, Pathfinder, Evacuationz and STEPS, will be used to assess their effectiveness, limitations, and practicalities. The PhD project will complement existing research conducted by the supervisory team e.g., ongoing SAFE (Strategies Aiming at Effective Fire Evacuation in HRRB) project funded by the Home Office. Experimental data from the physical testing of the SAFE project will be used to validate the developed numerical methodologies. The envisaged integration of evacuation modelling of HRRB in BIM will promote fire safety.
Further information
Informal project related enquiries about the post can be made to Dr. Eleni Asimakopoulou at [email protected]
For the application form and full details go to: www.uclan.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/studentships
Completed application forms should be returned to the Research Admissions email [email protected] quoting the studentship reference number DTC35
Proposed interview date: 16th January 2023
Current uclan research students will not be eligible to apply for this research studentship
Academic Position at Delft University of Technology on Fire safety of civil engineering materials and structures
See the weblink: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/about-tu-delft/working-at-tu-delft/campaigns/delft-technology-fellowship/ceg
Fire safety of civil engineering materials and structures
Securing structural safety is one of the main tasks of a structural engineer. Whereas aspects as structural performance as a consequence of e.g. increased static and dynamic loading, long-term ageing, moisture effects etc. over lifetime is well embedded in national and international research agenda’s and education of structural engineers, the aspect of fire safety receives less attention. This field tends to be scattered over several disciplines, sometimes lacking clear focus. Research performed on this topic is nearly always incident-driven, but almost never defined from a more fundamental and long-term perspective.
New developments further motivate the application of engineering principles to fire safety problems:
- New types of fire as a result of increased use of electrical vehicles, temporary storage of electricity, increased use of electricity in general, leading to types of fire which are different from the past (higher temperature loads and temperature gradients, alternative fire propagation scenario’s etc.);
- The use of novel construction materials and structures integration of systems and structures etc. in relation to fire safety engineering;
- Unexpected damage caused by unforeseen risks in case of fire (progressive collapse, e.g. TUD Architecture, WTC New York, Grenfell London).
The fellow will concentrate research activities on the relation of extreme fire loading scenario’s with deformation and failure behaviour on material, structural component, structural and system level. Fire safety should be seen as an important component of integral system safety of engineering assets.
This research will be embedded in the 3MD-department, given its strengths on civil engineering materials, mechanics and structural and integral design. The position also has clear links with other departments (e.g. GSE – tunnels, TP – traffic management, HE – hydraulic civil structures). Opportunities to connect to national (Federatie Veilig Nederland, Instituut Fysieke Veiligheid, CROW), and international professional organizations (e.g. Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Institution of Fire Engineers, Society of Fir e Safety) and international academia are numerous.
Two opening for PhD students at University of Maryland
Job Type: Graduate research assistant
Job Institution: Department of Fire Protection Engineering – University of Maryland, College Park
Job Description:
Dr. Ni’s lab has two openings for Ph.D. students starting in Spring or Fall 2023. The ideal candidates should have M.S. degree in structural engineering or mechanical engineering. Prior research experiences in fire science, computer vision, and machine learning are preferred. The successful candidates will work closely with the PI on projects that meet the mutual interests of the PI and the students. Admitted applicants will receive full-tuition support, stipend, and benefits. Besides the above prerequisites, candidates shall meet all admission requirements of the University of Maryland, College Park.
Interested students should contact Dr. Shuna Ni at [email protected] with “Ni Lab graduate school application” in the subject line. Please include a CV, transcripts (both undergraduate and graduate), TOEFL (≥96) or IELTS scores (≥7), a brief statement of research experience and interests, and contact information of 2-3 referees in the email.
Dr Natalia Flores-Quiroz is a researcher with experience in fire safety engineering. She worked for five years as a fire safety engineer in the mining industry before joining academia. She holds a MSc in fire safety from Ghent University, and her PhD focused on Fire investigations in Informal Settlements. Currently she is a lecturer at Stellenbosch University, where her main research areas are reconstruction of incidents in low-income settlements (i.e., informal settlements, refugee camps) and wildland urban interface (WUI) fires.
Bronwyn Forrest is a 3rd year PhD student at the University of Waterloo, conducting multi-disciplinary research investigating human physiological response to fire exposure. Bronwyn graduated in 2017 with a BSc. Honours Kinesiology and in 2020 with a MASc. Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering (Heat Release Rate in Ventilation-Limited Furniture Fires) before merging her two degrees in her PhD research. As a senior graduate student in the Fire Research Group, Bronwyn spear-heads large-scale fire experiments, mentors junior graduate and undergraduate students, and has recently set-up a new ‘human exposure lab’ at the Fire Research Facility where she leads new research in that area. Since her induction into the world of fire science, Bronwyn has grown more and more passionate about the multi-faceted nature of emerging fire safety challenges. Through innovative research, she hopes to make meaningful contributions that help shape changes to fire safety over the course of her career.
Dr. (HDR) Eric Guillaume has worked in fire sciences since 1998. He formerly led the fire behaviour department of SNCF (French Railway), then changed company in 2005 to join LNE (The French National Laboratory for Testing and Metrology) as head of Fire safety studies department, and later as head of research for whole testing activities of LNE. Nowadays (since 2015), he works for Efectis France, first as Technical Director and more recently as General Manager of the company, leading one of the most important fire testing and fire safety engineering companies in Europe (With approx. 180 people and 28 M€ turnover)
Dr. Albert Simeoni is Professor and the Department Head of Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He is the WPI site director of the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC), an Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States. Dr. Simeoni has served IAFSS by being chair or co-chair of the Wildland Fire track (2014, 2020 and 2023), Co-chair of the Awards Committee for the Best Thesis Awards (2023), Associate-Editor of Fire Safety Journal (2010-2015), member of the Editorial Board of Fire Safety Journal (since 2016), and Contributing Editor of Fire Safety Science News (since 2011).
Brian J. Meacham, PhD, PE (CT&MA), EUR ING, CEng (UK), FIFireE, FSFPE, is the Managing Principal of Meacham Associates. He develops risk-informed performance-based solutions to complex building and infrastructure challenges, provides peer-review services, and undertakes building and fire regulatory system studies. He also conducts research in these areas as well as in sustainable and fire resilient built environments and fire safety technologies. Brian has authored more than 300 publications, given more than 300 presentations and has been awarded more than $4M in research funding. His prior positions include Associate Professor of Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Principal at Arup, Technical Director and Research Director at SFPE, and fire safety engineer in Europe and the USA. Brian is Chair of the ICC Performance Code Committee, Chair of the NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Risk Assessment Methods, Immediate Past Chair of the International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS), a Past President of the SFPE, and a past Chair of the Inter-jurisdictional Regulatory Collaboration Committee (IRCC). He is a licensed Professional Engineer in CT and MA, a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers (UK), a registered European Engineer (EUR ING), a Fellow of the SFPE, and a Fulbright Global Scholar.
Kazunori Harada is a professor of architecture & architectural engineering at Kyoto University, Japan. He has a career in fire research for over 35 years. He has authored 14 IAFSS symposium papers. His expertise covers the fire resistance of construction materials, smoke movement and control, burning of combustibles in open and compartment, performance-based code & design of buildings and so on. He serves as a vice president of AOAFST, Asia-Oceania Association of Fire Science and Technology. He also serves as the Convenor of ISO/TC92/SC4 WG9, calculation methods for fire safety engineering (FSE), which develops calculation standards concerning FSE.
Dr Xinyan Huang is an Associate Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Deputy Director of the Research Centre for Fire Safety Engineering. He received his PhD from Imperial College London, MSc from UC San Diego, and BEng from Southeast University, and was a Postdoc at UC Berkeley. Dr Huang is a Combustion Scientist and a Fire Safety Engineer who has co-authored over 200 journal papers. He is an Associate Editor of Fire Technology and International Journal of Wildland Fire, an editorial member of J. Building Engineering, Fire Safety J. and Fire and Materials, a Chartered Building Services and Fire Engineer, a committee member for HK Fire Safety Code, and a Fire Expert for HK High Court. He receives the NSFC Excellent Young Scientists Fund, Bernard Lewis Fellowship and Sugden Best Paper Award from Combustion Institute, “5 under 35” and Bono Award from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE).
Arnaud Trouvé is Professor and Chair in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland in College Park, USA. He joined the Faculty in 2001 with a Ph.D. (1989) and Engineering Degree (1985) from École Centrale of Paris, France, and with previous experience as a combustion research engineer. Professor Trouvé’s research interests include fire modeling and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD); application of data assimilation to fire and combustion; and physical modeling of combustion- and fire-related phenomena, including compartment fires, wildland fires and explosions. Professor Trouvé is a Fellow of the Combustion Institute and the recipient of the 2017 FORUM Sjölin Award. He has served on the editorial boards of the Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, Combustion and Flame, and Fire Technology, and is currently on the editorial boards of Combustion Theory and Modelling and the Fire Safety Journal. Professor Trouvé is also a past Chair of the US Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute (ESSCI) and a past Member of the Executive Board of the International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS). He is a co-Chair of a recent initiative endorsed by IAFSS and called the “IAFSS Working Group on Measurement and Computation of Fire Phenomena” (the MaCFP Working Group) and the past Chair of a new network of leading higher-education institutions and research laboratories in fire safety engineering called the International Fire Safety Consortium (IFSC).
Dr Felix Wiesner is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia and study the role of engineered timber in fire safety. I work in the Faculty of Forestry as part of the Wood Science department. My research focus has mostly been experimental, considering fire dynamics in timber compartments and the structural fire capacity of engineered timber products. In addition, I am interested in the performance of timber in exterior building or infrastructure setting. This closely interfaces with wildfire considerations for the wildland urban interface (WUI), especially when it comes to smouldering.
Prof. Yuji Nakamura is Full Professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT), appointed as Affiliate Full Professor in Center for Fire Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science (since 2014). He currently serves the Head of Energy Conversion Laboratory and appointed as Department Chair since 2024. Prof. Nakamura has made professional service in Fire Science Community served as Management Committee of IAFSS during 2021-2023, worked as Co-chair of LOC in the most recent IAFSS symposium at Tsukuba, acting Associate Editor of Fire Technology since 2014 and board member of Fire Safety Journal since 2017.
ROGAUME Thomas is an Professor at the University of Poitiers – Pprime Institute (UPR3346 CNRS), FRANCE.
Yu Wang is a professor at the State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). He got joint Ph.D. from USTC and the City University of Hong Kong in 2016 and had working experience at the University of Edinburgh, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and National University of Singapore before returning to China in 2020. His primary research areas are high-rise building fire and large outdoor fire. Yu has published over 50 SCI journal papers, and is currently an Associate Editor in Fire Technology and Editorial Board Member in Fire Safety Journal. He initiated the first English fire course at USTC, Introduction of Fire Dynamics, reported by China News and People’s Daily Online (over 260,000 audiences). In recent years, he has received SFPE Global 5 Under 35 Award, Youth May Fourth Medal (Anhui Province), Young Faculty Career Award (USTCAF), and some Best Paper/Presentation/Poster/Image Awards in IAFSS or AOSFST.
Brian Lattimer, Ph.D. is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech where he performs experimental and computational research on fire safety and disaster resilience. He has nearly 30 years of experience in fire related research. His research areas include material behavior in fires, fire dynamics, suppression agents, heat transfer from fires to surfaces, structural response during fire, and firefighting technology.
Dr. Shuna Ni is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her Ph.D. degree at Texas A&M University in 2018 and her Master’s degree at Tongji University in 2013. Dr. Ni’s research focuses on fire forensics, structural fire engineering, WUI fire resilience, fire safety of tall mass-timber buildings and fire-related multiple hazards. Her research has been funded by National Science Foundation, National Institute of Justice, Fire Protection Research Foundation, University Transportation Centers under the Department of Transportation, Grand Challenges Grants Program at the University of Maryland and industrial partners.
Dr Wojciech Węgrzyński is with ITB, that is the Polish Building Research Institute in Warsaw. He currently holds the position of the Deputy Head of Fire Research Department and the Professor of the Institute, and a Director at SFPE Europe. He is the Author of 40 peer-reviewed papers published in all of the primary FSE journals. His main area of interest is the fundamentals of compartment fire dynamics and standardized fire testing, and also: use of computational fluid dynamics in fire, wind and fire interaction and evaluation of the effects of the spread of smoke in buildings. His research is focused on the impact of the architectural context of the building on the smoke control performance, as well as finding solutions to make the smoke exhaust systems cheaper and more efficient. Member of the Sub-committee for Research of the IAFSS. 2018 NFPA Harry C. Bigglestone Award Recipient; 2019 Jack Watts Award Recipient; 2020 SFPE 5 Under 35 Award Recipient. Member of Editorial Board of ‘Fire Technology. Hosts a fire podcast at 
Jennifer Wen is currently Professor of Energy Resilience in the School of Mechanical Engineering Sciences, University of Surrey as Professor. Previously, Jennifer held positions at Computational Dynamics Limited (founding vendor of STAR-CCM), British Gas plc, South Bank University, Kingston University London, and University of Warwick. She is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Vice-Chair for Research for the International Association for Fire Safety Science. Jennifer is also a member and sub-task leader of the European Safety Panel on Hydrogen Safety (EHSP) established by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (now Clean Hydrogen Partnership) of the European Commission. She is an Associate Editor for the Proceedings of the Combustion Institute.
Enrico Ronchi is an Associate Professor at Lund University, Sweden. His research and education activities are focused on evacuation and human behaviour in case of building fires and wildfires. His work has been published in over 150 publications (including >90 peer-reviewed journal papers). He is currently Associate Editor for the journals Fire Technology and Safety Science and member of the editorial board of the Fire Safety Journal.