The rapid growth of science and technology give way to new opportunities and demand for uniquely trained fire protection engineers. We foster a sustained growth of our graduate program through increased opportunities in research for our students.
FPE Research Overview 2025Our faculty members and students work within 10 core research areas, listed below. For information on related graduate programs, visit the Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy pages.
FPE experiments measure details properties of laminar and turbulent flames to better understand the complex coupling between combustion, heat transfer and combustible solids.
Using computer models, FPE researchers simulate the heat release process due to the fire, its growth and spread, and the resulting movement of smoke and heat through the built or open environment.
Understanding human behavior, and how people use egress routes, are key to ensuring that people exit a building safely in a fire emergency. FPE researchers conduct studies on building design to provide safe evacuation solutions in case of fire.
FPE researchers conduct studies on smoke production by fires and smoke venting systems to protect the built environment.
FPE researchers conduct studies to understand how large destructive fires spread, whether in the wildland, at the wildland-urban-interface (WUI), or inside urban areasfire, to help design fire-resilient WUI and urban communities.
FPE researchers develop tools to characterize and improve fire suppression systems, including water-based systems and inert gas systems.
FPE researchers conduct studies to improve fire detection methods, including the development of a multi-sensor detector prototype for traditional smoke sensors, heat sensors and gas sensors.
Understanding how materials—such as plastic and refrigerants—react to fire is critical for ensuring safety of the built environment. FPE researchers study physical and chemical processes to guide development of novel, fire-resistant materials.
FPE faculty members have developed several experiments currently being conducted in microgravity aboard the International Space Station.
FPE researchers study the energetics and dynamics of failure processes in Lithium-ion batteries and their reaction to the chemical composition and structure of Li-ion cells.
Resources for fire protection engineering are available via University Libraries.
The following presentations are organized to explain the fundamental methods and equipment in our labs: what they can measure, how to use these tools, the governing principles of how they work, their limitations, and the physics/math/post-processing required to go from machine output to useful data: