Two new PhD students have been welcomed into Natural Hazards Research Australia's expanding research network, funded through our Postgraduate Research Scholarship program.
Both scholars are completing PhDs at Victoria University's Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities.
Mohamed Sharaf's project, Parametric study of the transition from a surface fire to a crown fire through physics-based modelling, is providing insight into the threshold conditions for when a forest’s surface fire transitions to a crown fire. This improved understanding will provide fire managers and services with timely situational awareness and help them to exercise evidence-informed decision making, to ensure a more manageable surface fire does not evolve into an uncontrollable crown fire.
Ahmad Hassan's project, Physical modelling of large-scale junction fires, is looking at physics-based modelling of junction bushfires – a form of extreme fire phenomena when two contiguous bushfire lines merge – on a field scale. His research is assessing whether there are scaling effects for some atmospheric, topographical and physical parameters in such extreme fires, to inform fire managers during resource planning and operations.
As scholarship recipients, Mohamed and Ahmad join 18 other postgraduate students at the Centre. For details on the Centre’s Postgraduate Research Scholarship program, including eligibility criteria, how to apply and key dates, visit the Education page.