Joseph El Sayegh is a Ph.D. student in Fire Safety Engineering at Carleton University, bringing a unique blend of hands-on firefighting experience and engineering expertise to the field. With a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) and a project management degree from Université du Québec en Outaouais, Joseph integrates practical fire response knowledge with scientific analysis to advance fire safety research.

🔥 From Firefighting to Fire Science 

With over 10 years of experience as a firefighter and certified instructor in urban fire (trained by Sapeurs-Pompiers de France), Joseph has developed deep insights into fire dynamics, thermal phenomena, and the impact of ventilation on fire behavior. His background in real-world firefighting scenarios allows him to approach fire safety engineering from a practical and analytical perspective, bridging the gap between theory and application.

🌍 Research Focus 

Joseph’s research delves into fire characteristics, combustion parameters, and the influence of atmospheric conditions on fire behavior. He is particularly interested in how subtle variations in environmental factors can drastically alter fire dynamics, an area critical to improving fire suppression strategies and firefighter safety.

🚒 A Passion for Fire Safety and Knowledge Sharing 

Since moving to Canada two years ago, Joseph has actively pursued further education in fire safety, earning NFPA certifications and staying at the forefront of emerging fire science research. His commitment to continuous learning and his experience in both firefighting and engineering make him a valuable contributor to the EMBER Fire Group, where he works on cutting-edge fire safety challenges.

🔥 Joseph’s interdisciplinary expertise in fire dynamics, engineering, and firefighting is a testament to the importance of bridging practical experience with academic research to develop safer, more effective fire safety strategies.

🧗Joseph outside work:

Outside of work, Joseph enjoys challenging outdoor activities. He is a nature enthusiast who loves hiking, rappelling, biking and any other extreme adventure that pushes him outside his comfort zone. Volunteering is an important part of his life, he is actively engaged in his community as a medical first responder and emergency management volunteer. He also enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, as well as reading to expand his knowledge and work on his personal growth.

Antoine Hickey is a Computer Systems Engineering student at Carleton University with a passion for integrating software and hardware to develop innovative solutions to modern challenges. He is expanding his expertise in game development and applying these skills to the built environment through virtual reality (VR) applications.

As part of our VR fire safety project, Antoine is helping develop immersive simulations to study the evacuation process for people with mobility disabilities. This research aims to improve our understanding of how current building designs and evacuation strategies impact individuals with accessibility needs, ultimately contributing to more inclusive and effective fire safety policies. His work plays a critical role in advancing evidence-based recommendations for safer, more accessible buildings.

His contributions clearly demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of fire safety engineering, merging concepts from computer science, engineering, human behavior, and fire dynamics to develop cutting-edge tools for research and real-world applications. By leveraging VR technology, we can simulate emergency scenarios in ways that were previously impossible, ensuring that fire safety solutions consider the needs of all building occupants.

Antoine is working with our group full-time during the summer and part-time during the fall and winter school terms, allowing him to gain extensive experience in fire safety applications over the next four years. His long-term involvement ensures the continuous development and refinement of VR-based fire safety research, driving innovation in how we approach fire safety and accessibility in the built environment.

Fatema Mohamed is an undergraduate student in Architecture Conservation and Sustainability Engineering at Carleton University, with a strong interest in structural engineering and fire safety. As part of our research team, she is gaining hands-on experience in fire safety engineering, exploring how structural systems respond to fire and how sustainable design principles can be integrated into fire-resilient buildings.

Through her work on cutting-edge research projects, Fatema is developing a deeper understanding of fire dynamics, performance-based design, and innovative fire protection strategies. Her involvement in these projects highlights the interdisciplinary nature of fire safety engineering, merging concepts from architecture, materials science, and structural analysis to create safer and more resilient built environments.

Fatema is committed to expanding her knowledge and building expertise in fire safety, aiming to bridge the gap between structural resilience and sustainability. Outside of her academic and research pursuits, she enjoys hiking and swimming during the summer, painting, and reading.

Her dedication to learning and applying engineering principles to real-world fire safety challenges makes her a valuable member of our team and an emerging researcher in the field.

Meet Mohamed, an exceptional and dedicated member of our research team, currently pursuing his PhD at Carleton university, whose expertise in materials engineering and atomistic calculations as well as his commitment are deeply aligned with our research objectives. During his graduate studies, Mohamed served as a graduate research assistant at the American university in Cairo, he made significant contributions to the advancement of microsensors fabrication and investigation. His work was marked by an innovative use of state-of-the-art sensing materials, including graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), which he skillfully applied to a variety of substrates. What truly distinguishes Mohamed is his comprehensive and methodical approach to research. Prior to initiating experimental work, he conducted meticulous atomistic calculations to gain an in-depth understanding of the materials and their interactions, predicting their electronic and physical properties with precision.

Mohamed's specialization extends beyond the experimental realm, encompassing computational materials science, electronic materials, and solid-state physics. His invaluable expertise has been instrumental in our team's research efforts. Mohamed's unwavering commitment to expanding the boundaries of knowledge in the field of atomistic simulations and materials science, particularly in the context of fire safety engineering, is evident in the consistently high quality of his work. His contributions continue to propel our research group to new heights, and his expertise stands as a cornerstone of our mission to make groundbreaking discoveries. 

Selected Publications of Mohamed:

[1] Tawfik, Mohamed W., Abdelhameed Sharaf, and Mohamed Serry. "RF Ring Oscillator Graphene-Based Strain Sensor." In 2021 21st International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators, and Microsystems (Transducers), pp. 1359-1362. IEEE, 2021.

[2] Tawfik, Mohamed W., Abdelhameed Sharaf, and Mohamed Serry. "Monolayer Graphene Radiation Sensor with Backend RF Ring Oscillator Transducer." Nanomaterials 12, no. 3 (2022): 305.

[3] Saad, Yahia Ahmad, Mohamed Waheed Tawfik, Wolfgang Fritzsche, and Hassan Azzazy. "Electrochemical Biosensors for Interleukins: Electrode Materials." Journal of The Electrochemical Society (2023).

[4] Tawfik, Mohamed Ahmed Waheed. "Chemical Vapor Deposition Grown Monolayer Graphene Microsensors with RF Ring Oscillator Backend Circuit." PhD dissertation, The American University in Cairo (Egypt), 2023.

Moumina Mire is an undergraduate student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University with a growing curiosity about fire safety engineering. She is particularly interested in the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in fire modeling, exploring how advanced simulation tools can enhance our understanding of fire dynamics and inform safer building designs.

As part of our research team, Moumina is developing skills in CFD software and gaining hands-on experience in fire modeling and performance-based design approaches. Her work highlights the interdisciplinary nature of fire safety engineering, bridging civil engineering, environmental sustainability, and computational modeling to create innovative solutions for fire risk assessment.

Moumina’s enthusiasm for learning and applying engineering principles to real-world fire safety challenges makes her a valuable contributor to the team. Outside of her research, she enjoys reading and spending time with her cat, Mickey.

Her commitment to expanding her expertise in CFD and fire safety engineering reinforces her potential as a future leader in the field.

Rodolfo Prediger Helfenstein is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), specializing in fire safety engineering. His research focuses on understanding fire spread in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas, particularly the ignition of wooden structures exposed to firebrand showers. Through a combination of experimental and numerical modeling approaches, Rodolfo aims to provide valuable insights into the risks posed by WUI fires, an issue of growing importance due to urban expansion and climate change.

Rodolfo has a strong background in transport phenomena and fire dynamics, with both his BSc and MSc degrees in Mechanical Engineering. His master's research involved numerically investigating fire dynamics in multi-compartment structures, leading to the development of semi-empirical correlations for predicting pre-flashover fire behavior. His current PhD work builds on this foundation, tackling the critical challenge of firebrand-induced ignition in vulnerable communities and informal settlements.

As part of our research team, Rodolfo contributes his expertise in fire modeling and experimentation, supporting ongoing projects aimed at enhancing fire safety strategies. His work exemplifies the interdisciplinary nature of fire safety engineering, bridging computational fluid dynamics (CFD), combustion science, and material flammability to develop practical solutions for real-world fire risks.

Beyond his academic research, Rodolfo is passionate about engineering applications in fire safety, energy systems, and transport phenomena. He maintains a balanced approach to research and life, engaging in physical activities, travel, and continuous learning to fuel both personal and professional growth.

We are delighted to welcome Jane Gachuche, a seasoned Project Engineer at Jensen Hughes, to our growing team at EMBER Fire Group as a MSc-PhD fast track student. With a decade of experience in fire safety, building code consulting, and pedestrian movement analysis, Jane brings a wealth of expertise to our research group.

Currently a Registered Professional Engineer in both British Columbia and Saskatchewan, Jane has made significant contributions to the field through her work on diverse fire safety projects across Canada and internationally. Her focus on performance-based designs, particularly integrating human behavior studies into evacuation modeling, showcases her commitment to innovative and effective solutions.

Jane's dedication to advancing engineering practices is further demonstrated by her role as a 2022 Engineering for Change (E4C) Fellow and her membership in the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST). Her involvement in these organizations reflects her commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in the engineering community.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Jane has expanded her horizons by joining us as an MSc-PhD (fast-track) student this fall. Her dual role as a practitioner and researcher adds a unique dimension to our group, aligning seamlessly with our mission to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world applications.

We are excited to collaborate with Jane and leverage her expertise in fire engineering, human behavior studies, and pedestrian flow modeling. Her diverse background and commitment to excellence make her a valuable addition to our dynamic research community. Join us in extending a warm welcome to Jane Gachuche as she embarks on this dual journey of practice and research with EMBER Fire Group!

Meet Ahmed, an outstanding member of our research team, currently pursuing his PhD at Carleton university, whose expertise and commitment are deeply aligned with our research objectives. Throughout his Bachelor's and Master's studies, Ahmed was deeply conceprned with Computational Fluid Dynamics in multiple fields such as Aerospace Engineering and Biomedical engineering. Throughout his graduate studies, his research was specifically focused on Biomedical Engineering applications. His expertise lies in the domain of turbulence modeling and FSI (Fluid-Structure Interaction), particularly concerning internal flows within the human circulatory system, encompassing arteries and veins. Ahmed's research also extends to numerical calculations for the acoustic footprint of stenotic arteries and valves, shedding light on the critical aspects of hemodynamics and cardiovascular health.

One of Ahmed's notable contributions to the field is the development of a machine learning model for predicting 2D idealized aortic hemodynamic parameters using images as input. This innovative approach demonstrates his proficiency in combining cutting-edge technology with medical science, enabling more accurate and non-invasive methods of assessing vascular health. Ahmed's dedication to the field of Biomedical Engineering, with an emphasis on computational modeling and machine learning, is evident in his rigorous work and insightful research. His expertise has been a significant asset to our research group, aligning perfectly with our mission to explore the frontiers of knowledge and create practical applications for improving healthcare. Ahmed's contributions continue to drive our research group's success, and his skill set plays a pivotal role in our quest for groundbreaking discoveries in the realm of Fire Safety Engineering.

Selected Publications of Ahmed:

[1] Ahmed M. Ali, Omar A. Ismail, , Muhammed A. Hassan, and Osama Gamea. "Geometric optimization of pin fins for enhanced cooling in a microchannel heat sink." International Journal of Thermal Sciences 190 (2023): 108321.

[2] Ahmed M. Ali, Ahmed H. Hafez, Khalil I. Elkhodary, and Mohamed El-Morsi. "A CFD-FFT approach to hemoacoustics that enables degree of stenosis prediction from stethoscopic signals." Heliyon 9, no. 7 (2023).