AI / Simulation Engineer – Fire and Explosion

Job description
• Develop and execute CFD-based fire and explosion simulations using:
• FLACS for gas dispersion, flame acceleration, and vented/unvented deflagration analysis
• FDS for gas dispersion, fire dynamics, smoke movement, heat transfer, and plume behavior
• Model ESS/BESS fire and explosion scenarios, including:
• Battery off-gas release and dispersion
• Ignition and overpressure development
• Large-scale enclosure and outdoor fire scenarios
• Apply strong fundamentals in heat transfer (convection, conduction, radiation), fluid flow and turbulence, combustion, and fire dynamics
• Analyze simulation outputs such as:
• Temperature fields, heat fluxes, and thermal exposure
• Overpressure and impulse
• Gas concentration and visibility
• Support performance-based fire and explosion safety design (PBD) aligned with applicable codes and standards
• Interpret simulation results in the context of code intent, safety objectives, and risk reduction strategies
• Assist in defining credible worst-case and design fire/explosion scenarios
• Perform pre-processing, solver execution, and post-processing of CFD simulations
• Support verification and validation (V&V) through comparison with:
• Large-scale ESS fire test data
• Literature and experimental benchmarks
• Prepare clear, defensible technical reports for internal review and external customers
• Work under guidance of senior fire and explosion engineers while progressively taking ownership of tasks
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across CFD, testing, certification, and research
• Maintain high-quality documentation and adherence to established modeling workflows
• Actively develop expertise by reviewing technical literature and internal best practices
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering / Chemical Engineering/ Thermal Sciences/ Combustion, Fire Protection Engineering, or CFD-related disciplines
• 2–4 years of experience in CFD, thermal-fluid simulation, fire modeling, or related applied simulation work
• Hands-on experience or project exposure to:
• Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and
• FLACS or similar explosion / gas dispersion tools
• Computer Aided Design (CAD) software (e.g. Inventor, SolidWorks)
• Ability to apply engineering judgment and first principles when building simulation models
• Excellent technical writing and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable working independently on defined tasks within a structured engineering framework
• Exposure to battery energy storage systems (BESS/ESS) or lithium-ion thermal runaway (nice to have)
• Familiarity with large-scale fire testing or fire test data interpretation (nice to have)
• Awareness of performance-based fire engineering concepts (nice to have)
• Basic knowledge of relevant standards (e.g., NFPA 855, NFPA 68/69, IFC, international fire codes) (nice to have)
• Experience with other CFD tools (ANSYS Fluent, OpenFOAM, CFX)
• Experience with Python workflow automation (nice to have)
• Interest in research, model validation, and advanced simulation methodologies