From WPI Research to Real-World Solutions
WPI's expertise in natural disasters
Areas of Expertise
Wildfires, fire safety, wildland fires, and more
Fire
As one of the few universities in the nation with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs in fire protection engineering, our experts are fluent in wildfires, fire safety, fire origin, fire causes, and fire investigations, among other topics.
Featured Fire Experts
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James Urban
Assistant Professor, Fire Protection Engineering
Professor James Urban conducts research focused on the physical processes controlling whether or not flammable material ignites and then understanding how it burns. Much of this research has focused on small, hot objects such as firebrands (burning debris from an existing fi
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Albert Simeoni
Professor and Department Head, Fire Protection Engineering
WPI Professor Albert Simeoni is a renowned wildfire expert and leader in fire behavior research. He is at the forefront of understanding the complex dynamics of wildland fires and the critical risks they post to both people and property. His wildfire research focuses on the unusu
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Shichao Liu
Assistant Professor, Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering
Professor Liu’s research focuses on built and urban environment, occupant-building-environment interaction, and integrated design for sustainable and healthy buildings. Recent studies include the impact of wildfire smoke on air quality both outdoors and indoors, the optimal condi
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Milosh Puchovsky
Professor of Practice & Associate Department Head, Fire Protection Engineering
Professor Puchovsky is an expert on fire protection systems, means of egress and associated regulatory requirements. He possesses 30 plus years of experience in the field having designed and evaluated a wide range of active and passive fire safety products, strategies and systems
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Hurricane
With the research connections between hurricanes and climate change, WPI experts can provide insight on research related to both topics.
Hurricane Experts
Mimi Sheller
Dean of Global School, The Global School
Mimi Sheller is a widely cited expert in the post-colonial context of the Caribbean, with particular expertise on Haiti. Sheller also founded and directed the Center for Mobilities Research and Policy, an interdisciplinary field that studies the movement of people, objects,
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Mingjiang Tao
Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering
Mingjiang Tao teaches geotechnical and pavement engineering to prepare students for careers in civil engineering. He studies highway infrastructure engineering with a goal of advancing sustainable engineering practices. He is an expert on pavement and can speak about how extreme
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Sara Saberi
Associate Professor, The Business School
Prof. Saberi's main research focus is on applying game theory models in different aspects of supply chain management. Especially, in theoretically and empirically exploring and expanding the research on modeling service-oriented networks where multiple decision-makers face confli
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Experts on water-related natural disasters
Mingjiang Tao
Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering
Mingjiang Tao teaches geotechnical and pavement engineering to prepare students for careers in civil engineering. He studies highway infrastructure engineering with a goal of advancing sustainable engineering practices. He is an expert on pavement and can speak about how extreme
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Elisabeth Stoddard
Associate Professor of Teaching, The Global School
Professor Stoddard is a human-environment geographer who is interested in the intersection of nature, society, and social justice. She looks at the ways in which farmed animal production can create environmental hazards and injustice for local communities, including water, air, a
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Earthquake
While earthquake prediction is an important scientific development, the aftereffects of natural disasters—such as managing earthquake hazards and disaster recovery—are also essential to the big picture.
Experts on Earthquakes
Carrick Eggleston
Professor Eggleston's research is focused on natural materials and how they interact with the environment in which we live. His teaching interests include scientific and technical aspects of geochemistry, solar energy and semiconductor electrochemistry, surface and interface chem
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Avalanches
It’s tough to predict avalanche natural disasters, but WPI researchers are able to speak to the natural causes of an avalanche and the effects of an avalanche on a community.
Experts on Avalanches
Peter Hansen
Professor, Humanities & Arts
In addition to being a professor of history, Professor Hansen is the Director of International and Global Studies at WPI. In this role, responsibilities include enhancing the curricular components of WPI’s global programs, exploring new partnerships, and advising students in glob
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