Alumna Returns To Fire Protection Engineering as New Professor of the Practice

The Department of Fire Protection Engineering (FPE) welcomes back Rosalie Hrybyk ’13 M.S. ’15 as the new Assistant Clinical Professor, bringing nearly a decade of experience into the classroom in 2025.

Hrybyk, who obtained her FPE bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Maryland, began her teaching career in 2020 as an adjunct lecturer for the FPE Professional Development Seminar. In her new role, she will ensure that the undergraduate curriculum stays current with industry standards and will teach fundamental courses in FPE.

“I am so excited to return to FPE for this role. This department gave so much to me when I was a student and I aim to provide the same level of guidance and encouragement that I received. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experiences of this incredibly rewarding field,” she said.

Hrybyk comes to Maryland from Performance Based Fire Protection Engineering, a consulting firm where she has extensive experience with code consulting, fire and life safety plan review, as well as sprinkler and fire alarm design. She specializes in performance based design, fire and egress modeling, and smoke control rational analyses. She joins the FPE faculty after nine years as a consulting engineer for other firms that include Koffel Compliance, Koffel Associates and Arup. Some of her recent work include performing fire and egress modeling for professional and collegiate stadiums as well as a research project on stairwell pressurization design considering open doors, the latter which was presented at the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) annual conference and as an SFPE webinar.

“We are thrilled that Rosalie Hrybyk has accepted our offer to join the department as the new James Milke Endowed Professor of Practice. She has close to a decade of experience as a consulting engineer in FPE, and that experience will help us maintain a balance between the practice and the research in our teaching portfolio," said Arnaud Trouvé, department chair. "We also look forward to the students experiencing Rosalie's passion and energy for FPE. Her enthusiasm is contagious and is a trademark of FPE.”

The new faculty will be supported by the James A. Milke Endowed Professor of Practice, which serves an FPE practitioner who will ensure that the curriculum includes applications, and that the department continues to conduct applied research for the industry. The endowed clinical professor, now known as the James A. Milke Endowed Professor of Practice position, was created in 2014 thanks to the generous financial support of a vast network of alumni and friends of the department, with Ken Isman as the first person appointed in that position. Isman retired last Summer and Hrybyk will join as his successor. As part of her teaching portfolio, Hrybyk will teach ENFP-310 “Water Based Fire Protection Systems Design,” ENFP-350 “Professional Development Seminar,” and ENFP-411 “Risk-Informed Performance Based Design.”

Currently, Hrybyk serves as the treasurer of the FPE Alumni Club, a member of the Curriculum Advisory Committee and a member of the SFPE Grand Challenges Initiative committee. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the states of Maryland and California.

Published December 16, 2024