PhD Studentship in fire science and high-rise timber buildings at Imperial College London

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship in the field of fire science with Prof Guillermo Rein at Imperial College London.

Cross-laminated timber: the future of buildings?

Photo: Watts&Helm, 2015 in Seattle Business.

The objective of the PhD thesis, funded by EPSRC and Arup UK, will be to understand how a fire behaves in a building with exposed timber. The work will contribute towards better fire engineering design of tall timber in the UK and worldwide. The method of research will be based on computational modelling in close collaboration with experimentalists.


Innovative wood product like cross-laminated timber are revolutionizing the construction industry. However, all wood products are flammable to a degree and therefore fire engineering is required for safe design. The results of this PhD thesis can help to unlock timber’s potential as a construction materials leading to safe, more cost-efficient, and more sustainable (more than 30 % carbon footprint saving) construction of high-rise buildings.

The student will join Imperial Hazelab, the multidisciplinary research group led by Prof Guillermo Rein, part of the Thermofluids Division in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London. The purpose of the group is to reduce the worldwide burden of accidental fires and protect people, their property, and the environment. To do so, Hazelab studies computationally and experimentally heat transfer processes, condensed-phase chemistry and fluid dynamics of all types of fires.

If interested in this opportunity, you will be an enthusiastic and self-motivated person who meets the academic requirements for enrolment for the PhD degree at Imperial College London. You will have a degree in engineering, mathematics or physics (at least 2:1 degree), and an inquiring and rigorous approach to science and engineering. Good knowledge in heat transfer and computational fluid dynamics are essential. Knowledge in fire science and timber are desired but not essential prior the project. Good team-working and communication skills are essential as well.

Candidates should fulfil the residence requirements of EPSRC for stipend and fees (UK citizens or long term resident). You can check your eligibility here. For further details of the PhD studentship, contact Prof Guillermo Rein.

Closing date: Position already filled (Feb 2019).