The Engineered Fire Safe Products (EFSP) Project in the Fire Research Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) focuses on two key tasks: (1) development of the experimental and analytical capabilities needed to advance quantitative understanding of material flammability, ignition, and early fire growth and (2) characterization of fire hazards in the wildland urban interface (WUI) (e.g., firebrand generation and exposure).

The primary focus of this project is to develop bench-scale and computational tools designed to make significant and systematic progress in fire modeling, based on a fundamental understanding of fire phenomena, and to use these tools to evaluate and develop EFSP.  

Topics of interest include design, construction, calibration, and use of experimental tools to quantify the material properties and physical mechanisms controlling fire behavior and the development of analysis tools to process, visualize, and analyze these measurement results. Prior research collaborations include (but are not limited to) exposure characterization and hardening of structural components exposed to wildfires, quantifying the risks of electrical enclosure fires, modeling of wildfires, modeling of flame spread in the built environment, and reducing the flammability of residential upholstered furniture.

Keywords:

char oxidation; fire dynamics; fire modeling; fire testing; heat transfer; material flammability; material property determination; pyrolysis

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants