The November 2020 edition of the IAFSS Newsletter, the official newsletter of the IAFSS is now available.
Call for submissions for and Image Gallery entitled “Diversity in Fire Safety Science”
We would like to embrace the diversity of fire safety at the 13th IAFSS Symposium. As one initiative, we are delighted to announce the introduction of an Image Gallery highlighting “Diversity in Fire Safety Science” at the 13th IAFSS Symposium. “Diversity” in this context could mean topics, team members, or any uniqueness in your research that relates to equity, diversity and inclusivity of all. For this, we are collecting images from members of IAFSS and participants at the 13th Symposium. These will be assembled into a display on the virtual Symposium platform as one way to embrace and profile our diversity!
Instructions
- Send us an image of “Diversity” from your organization/group/company/research
- Size: 16:9 (33.867 cm x 19.05 cm) – high definition is best as it can be adjusted if needed
- Format: powerpoint slide or pdf
- One slide per each organization/group/company
- Get permission first if any individuals’ faces are shown in your slide (IAFSS will not be responsible for this)
Please note: submitted images will be used only for Image Gallery of “Diversity in Fire Safety Science” during the 13th IAFSS symposium.
Please submit your slide by April 1st to https://www.dropbox.com/request/4Ph1CE2E9MtHTGLWTHTx
Any questions/comments are welcome, please contact us (anne.steen.hansen@risefr.no, beth.weckman@uwaterloo.ca, izabella.m.vermesi@gmail.com, sayakas@fri.go.jp) any time.
Best Regards,
Diversity task group (Anne, Beth, Iza, and Sayaka)
Call for bids to organize & host the 15th IAFSS Symposium, Europe, 2026
The IAFSS Committee welcome bids for the 15th IAFSS Symposium, to be held in Europe in 2026.
Selection of the host for the symposium will be made by the new Management Committee at its April meeting, which will be associated with the virtual 13th IAFSS Symposium organized and hosted by the University of Waterloo. An exact date will be defined and communicated by those sending in a bid.
If you are interested in hosting the 15th IAFSS Symposium please click here for further information.
PhD Scholarship on Mass Timber Fire at the University of Queensland, Australia
PhD scholarship: Scientific basis for the use of fire-safe intumescent coatings used in mass timber structures
Description
Supervisor – Dr Cristian Maluk Zedan
Engineering advances in the space of timber being used for construction of load-bearing assemblies has stimulated the design of timber structures where fire could be a problem. However, demonstrating and ensuring that the timber structure will perform appropriately during (and even after) a fire is a challenge. In the event of a fire, timber ignites and chars, resulting in an exothermic reaction that (1) may provide additional fuel to the fire and (2) result in a reduction of the load-bearing cross-section for structural timber elements. Consequently, timber structures must fulfil fire safety functional requirements to ensure structural integrity and stability during and after a fire.
Thin intumescent flame retardant (nano) coating, typically used in the steel industry, are thermally reactive materials that when exposed to heat swell to form a thick porous carbonaceous layer characterized by low density and low thermal conductivity. Usually, thin intumescent are applied to a few millimetres; swelling up to 100 times its original thickness.
This project will investigate and set the scientify/engineering grounds for understanding the fire performance and overall effectiveness for thin intumescent coatings and flame retardants that could be used in mass timber structures.
A working knowledge of fire engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, material science, or structural engineering would be of benefit to someone working on this project.
School of Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering at UQ was ranked 29th in the World and 2nd in Australia (NTU, 2019) and has consistently ranked in the top 50 in the QS World University Rankings. As a major part of the new Advanced Engineering Building, is the new and fully equipped structures and fire laboratory testing facility, which was supported through 2013 LIEF grant (LE130100089). The Fire Safety Engineering Research Group at UQ is at the forefront of fire engineering research and education in Australia. The team of four academics, including CI-Maluk who works in the areas of structural fire science and engineering research, and also in many other material science and generic fire safety research. Comprising 20+ PhD fire students, dedicated research and laboratory staff, the Fire Research Group actively engages with researchers in Australia and worldwide, as well as with industry, government, and other institutions for research and consultancy projects.
The University of Southern Queensland (USQ), partner in this research project, delivers well recognised research and innovation in advanced materials with its Centre for Future Materials (formerly Centre of Excellence in Engineered Fibre Composites) funded by the Queensland State Government with over $7 million infrastructure investment. Dr Pingan Song (co-supervisor based at USQ) has had 15+ years of research experience in materials science, especially polymer science (polymer blends and modification), and engineering (flame retardancy, mechanical reinforcement and toughening).
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must meet the entry requirements for a higher degree by research.
This scholarship is open to Australian citizens, permanent residents and International students who are currently in Australia.
Summary
| Enrolment status | New students |
|---|---|
| Student type | Domestic students |
| Level of study | Higher Degree by Research |
| Study area | Engineering and Computing, Science and Mathematics |
| HDR funding type | Living stipend scholarship |
| Scholarship value | PhD scholarship: Scientific basis for the use of fire-safe intumescent coatings used in mass timber structures |
| Scholarship duration | Three years with the possibility of two 6-month extensions in approved circumstances |
| Opening date | 22 January 2021 |
| Closing date | 8 February 2021 |
Read more here:
2 PhD Opportunities on Wildland Fire Behavior at WPI, MA, USA
Applications are being sought for two Research Associates (PhD students) to conduct research in the area of wildland fire behavior and particularly on the multi-scale physics of the interactions between fire, wind and vegetation. The PhD students will work on the development of sub-models for CFD simulations of wildland fire spread through the development of a combined experimental and numerical approach.
The applicants are expected to possess a Master in Fire Protection, Mechanical or Chemical Engineering with research or educational background in fire, combustion and/or thermal science. The successful candidates should have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills and strong written and verbal communication skills. Background in CFD modeling and fire experiments is a plus. Funding from a federal grant for these two positions is expected to last for three years.
Applications and associated information are requested to be submitted to the attention of Prof. Albert Simeoni, at aosaid@wpi.edu by February 12th, 2021 but will be accepted until the position is filled. The earliest start date for these positions is March 1st, 2021.
PhD positions in hydrogen safety at Ulster University
The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training “Sustainable hydrogen” (SusHy) application page and studentship projects brochure are now live on SusHy CDT website.
There are 5 topics in the area of hydrogen safety (can be found among other topics at https://www.sustainablehydrogen-cdt.ac.uk/documents/sushy-cdt-projects-v1-17-dec-20.pdf):
- Safety of using ammonia for the hydrogen economy (available as well through Ulster University webpage: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd/793459)
- Modelling and simulation of premixed combustion in large-scale confined geometries (Ulster University webpage: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd/796800)
- Safety assessment and mitigation of hazards from TPRD in-situ of hydrogen vehicle (Ulster University webpage: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd/793432)
- Using coupled CFD-FEM modelling for the safety assessment of hydrogen-powered vehicles (Ulster University webpage: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd/793451)
- Prevention and mitigation of incidents involving hydrogen use in a domestic setting (Ulster University webpage: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/doctoralcollege/find-a-phd/796815)
Deadline for applications at Ulster University is 5th of February 2021.
Post-Doctoral Fellow on wildland fire science at WPI, MA, USA
JOB TITLEFPE Post-Doctoral Fellow
LOCATIONWorcester
DEPARTMENT NAMEFire Protection Engineering – NFR JM
DIVISION NAMEWorcester Polytechnic Institute – WPI
JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARYApplications are being sought for a qualified and motivated postdoctoral fellow to conduct research in the area of wildland fire science. The primary responsibility will be to support a new research project by the Department of Justice to provide experimental data and methodologies to assess the reliability of fire pattern indicators used in wildland fire investigation. Knowledge and experience in fire or wind-tunnel testing will be a plus.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Additional responsibilities will include research support on other projects and proposals, including writing grant applications.
The postdoctoral fellow will be required to publish scholarly papers and to take on a mentorship role for undergraduate and graduate students.
The successful candidate should have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills and strong written and verbal communication skills.
A one-year appointment is anticipated with a possible extension to two additional years.
Applicants will need to provide a letter of interest, a complete CV, at least two exemplar publications, and at least three academic / research references.
Applications and associated information are requested to be submitted by January 31st, 2021 but will be accepted until the position is filled. The target start date of this position is March 1st, 2021.
Applicants must have a Ph.D. in Mechanical/Fire Protection Engineering or any related field.
FLSA STATUSUnited States of America (Exempt)
WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. We are seeking individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity and collaboration, inclusion, problem solving and change making.
13th IAFSS Symposium Poster Deadline – January 30
Poster submissions have re-opened on Easy Chair for the 13th IAFSS Symposium. Final poster submission (NEW contributions): January 30, 2021. Read more here: https://uwaterloo.ca/international-symposium-on-fire-safety-science/
In light of developments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19), and the need to protect our own and extended communities, the Symposium Planning Committee, in consultation with the IAFSS Executive and Management Committees, has decided that the 13th IAFSS Symposium will be an on-line event. Further information can be found on the FAQ webpage.
New IAFSS Working Group on Human Behaviour in Fires
Please visit our Google form to join the working group and sign-up for our first meeting in April 2021.
A new Working Group on Human Behaviour in Fires (HBiF) has recently been established within IAFSS. This group will serve as a coordinating body that monitors, develops and guides research on all aspects of the broad discipline of human behaviour in fire. The primary objective of the group is to achieve measurable, positive impacts on life safety of people in building and outdoor fires, avoid duplication in research efforts across the world and present a unified representative voice for researchers in the field.
The HBiF Working Group will focus on a number of activities; e.g., developing:
- a template for HBiF data collection and reporting,
- guidelines for ethical research when studying human behaviour in fire
- a research roadmap for the discipline of human behaviour in fire
- a webpage containing resources for interested stakeholders
- a glossary of terms for the field
- authoritative guidelines for verification and validation (V&V) of computer evacuation models
If you are interested in joining this group, please use this Google form to sign up.
On the Google form, you will also be asked if you are interested in attending our first working group meeting, which will take place as part of the 13th IAFSS Symposium in April 2021. At this meeting, we will establish a prioritized list of short-term and long-term activities, associated timescales and deliverables and assign activity leaders. Please plan to attend and provide your input on working group priorities!
We hope that you can join us in our efforts to increase the safety of people in buildings and outdoor fires around the world!
IAFSS Management Committee Election Closing Nov. 30
This is a reminder that the election period for the 2021-2023 IAFSS Management Committee is open from 1 October – 30 November 2020. Each member (paid as of 31 March 2020) is eligible to vote. The voting is being conducted using SurveyMonkey, not IAFSS, so please check your ‘junk’ folder for the email which was sent from webmaster@iafss.org via SurveyMonkey member@surveymonkeyuser.com. We have 27 candidates for 24 open positions, so please review the candidate statements and vote for up to 24 persons. If you have any questions or did not receive the email with the link to the vote, please contact the IAFSS Secretariat at office@iafss.org.
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.