Ruben Dobler Strand

Field of work

My research interests span several areas related to fire safety and general safety science. In recent years, my work has primarily focused on fire risk modelling in wooden buildings, as well as wildfire risk in vegetation, with particular emphasis on coastal heathland. My PhD research focused on the development of fire warning systems for wooden buildings and wooden building environments in cold climates.

I have extensive experience in fire dynamics, CFD simulations, modelling, and risk assessment related to various operations and industries. Overall, my core expertise lies in fire safety engineering and safety science, particularly risk analysis and systems safety.

Teaching

I have taught a range of courses where the main topics included:

• Fire dynamics

• Risk concepts and risk understanding

• Technical safety (introductory level)

Research

My research focuses on the risk of large fires, including fires in wooden buildings and dense wooden building environments, as well as vegetation fires, particularly in the wildland–urban interface (WUI). For wooden buildings, fire risk related to cold climates has been a key focus area.

I am part of the research project DYNAMIC, which investigates large fires and the reduction of fire risk in wooden buildings, wooden building environments, and the wildland–urban interface. The latter focuses specifically on coastal heathland as a cultural landscape.

More information about the research group can be found here:
https://www.hvl.no/forsking/gruppe/storbranner/

As part of an interdisciplinary research education, I have also worked with software development, including the development of fire risk warning systems. This work has particularly focused on software modelling using Coloured Petri Nets (CPNs).

Summary of expertise

• Fire risk and fire hazard in wooden buildings and wooden building environments

• Fire risk and fire hazard in the wildland–urban interface (vegetation close to residential areas)

• Software development (fire risk warning systems, CPN modelling)