Michael Försth
Professor, Programme Director
Research subject: Structural Engineering
Division: Structural and Fire Engineering
Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering
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Luleå, T1033
About me
I have been a professor in the Division of Structural and Fire Engineering since 2014 and also the head of education at the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Natural Resources Engineering since 2022. My experience in fire technology started in 2006 when I began working as a research scientist at RISE. I like to work with knowledge and people! I’m in the center of my comfort zone when things move forward and when I apply physics methods to solve applied problems and find new solutions and seeds for innovations.
Research interests
I am a physicist by heart and education but see myself as a generalist in fire technology. I love to develop or discover things that can improve safety or other aspects of our lives. My research is sometimes fundamental, such as droplet breakup described by spherical harmonics or studies of the spark discharge dynamics in the cone calorimeter, to very applied, such as analyzing which requirements are appropriate for fire performance of interior materials of buses, or how cables should be fire tested and classified. My current research focus is mainly on hydrogen safety.
My objectives are to
- Develop physics and chemistry-based validated models in hydrogen safety.
- Provide engineers with models and tools for efficient risk assessments.
- In a broader context, develop a detailed understanding of physicochemical mechanisms involved in fires, so this knowledge can enable new products and solutions.
Professional expertise
- Optics engineer, research scientist, research manager, section manager, professor, programme director, head of education, and deputy head of department
- Fire TIC (testing, inspection, and certification), and standardization
- Teaching: I am or have been an examiner for the courses
- S0005B Project course in fire engineering
- S0006B Analysis and design of fire loading in buildings
- S0003B Fire dynamics 1
- S7002B Fire dynamics 2
- K0017B Applied risk management
- S7008B Applied fire dynamics
- S0011B Fire physics
- I am also teaching, or have been teaching, in the courses
- B0002B Structural Engineering
- K0007B Risk and safety – basic course
- W0008B Building physics
- BTA137 Fire protection (at Mälardalen University, MDU)
- Hydrogen for the curious (MOOC, massive open online course)
- Basic hydrogen safety (professional education)
In addition, I have initiated and/or administered several other courses, supervised more than 100 bachelor/master theses, and I am or have been the main supervisor for five PhD students and deputy supervisor for five PhD students.
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