Wildland fire modelling and risk assessment (PhD)

In the last decade, large and severe wildfires have increased in occurrence, duration and intensity. Recent mega-fires in Canada, Australia, the United States and Brazil provide evidence of this natural hazard. Communities in the rural-urban interface are currently at risk as wildland fires can impact them directly and indirectly (cascade risk). On the one hand, direct impact can be estimated via spread models (e.g. Prometheus and Spark), as well as advanced wildland fire simulators (e.g. FDS), which provide a spatiotemporal description of the development of the fire, its behaviour and potential of harm. However, using these tools for exposure estimation is not standardized, and there are few validation cases for New Zealand fire scenarios. On the other hand, estimating indirect impact requires integrating wildland fire risk into urban systems such as roads, building type and arrangement, electricity network, etc., which has not been implemented in New Zealand.

This project will assess and study direct and indirect wildland fire risk in New Zealand. The student will validate and use fire spread modelling tools to estimate wildland fire exposure and direct risk. The student will have access to high-quality experimental datasets from previous experiments and will participate in upcoming crown-fire field experiments for validation purposes. Additionally, the student will use an existing urban digital twin to study cascade and indirect risk.

Applicants are invited for a fully funded three-year PhD scholarship in the University of Canterbury's Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering to work on wildland fire modelling and risk assessment under the supervision of Dr Andres Valencia (UC Senior Supervisor), Dr Marwan Katurji (co-supervisor) and Tom Logan (co-supervisor) in the context of the Project “Extreme fire behaviour, are we ready?” founded by Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

The candidate is expected to demonstrate a strong background in fire/wildfire sciences and strong analytical skills (Python and GIS tools preferred).

Location

The University of Canterbury is located in Christchurch, New Zealand: a modern city and gateway to a range of outdoors activities. 

You will join an active, enthusiastic, and diverse team, with a passion for working on problems that make a difference for communities. 

Scholarship

Provided by: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)

Amount: $32,000 per annum + domestic tuition fees (New Zealand Dollars).

Closing date: Applications will be reviewed as they are received.

To apply, please contact Dr. Andres Valencia: andres.valencia@canterbury.ac.nz

Employer questions

Your application will include the following questions:

• Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in New Zealand?
• Which of the following programming languages are you experienced in?
• Are you willing to relocate for this role?