Dr. Michael Gollner to Join FPE Faculty

The Department of Fire Protection Engineering (FPE) at the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Gollner will join the department this fall as a new Assistant Professor.

Michael Gollner recently graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, majoring in Combustion and minoring in Fluid Dynamics. His previous research, working with his adviser Prof. Forman A. Williams, investigated an approach to commodity flammability ranking in warehouses and the propagation of fires through industrial, wildland and built environments. This work was performed in collaboration with Prof. Ali Rangwala from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, utilizing facilities from both institutions.

"Dr. Gollner will complement and strengthen our existing faculty with his comprehensive set of capabilities..."

Dr. Jim Milke, Department Chair

Michael's current research interests include material flammability, flame spread, boundary layer combustion and sustainability in the built environment. He investigates these topics using experimental and theoretical techniques to elucidate important physics in these problems, applying these results to practical applications relevant to wildfires and fires in the built environment.

Michael recently received the International Association for Fire Safety Science's best poster and best fire science image awards at the organization's 2011 symposium at the University of Maryland and was also awarded the 2010 Chancellor's Award for Sustainability from the University of California, San Diego for his work on renewable energy funding for solar PV installations throughout San Diego County. He has also appeared on William Shatner's "Weird or What" television series where he performed room fire testing for the TV series. Michael previously worked with Schirmer Engineering (now AON Fire Protection Engineering) in San Diego, CA. His work there included two projects for the Fire Protection Research Foundation. He holds a B.S. (2008), M.S. (2010) and Ph.D. (2012) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego.

Department Chair Dr. Jim Milke states that, "Dr. Gollner will complement and strengthen our existing faculty with his comprehensive set of capabilities relative to the analysis of the fire properties of materials and with his interest in wildland fires, an important area of work. In addition, his experience at Schirmer Engineering and his interest in practical applications will make him an invaluable instructor in our applied courses."

Published July 23, 2012