Faculty Directory

Raffan-Montoya, Fernando

Raffan-Montoya, Fernando

Assistant Professor
Co-director, FireTEC
Fire Protection Engineering
Aerospace Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
3104A J.M. Patterson Building
Website(s):

EDUCATION

  • Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, UMD, 2016.
  • M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, UMD, 2008.
  • B.S. in Aerospace Engineering (Summa Cum Laude), Florida Institute of Technology, 2005

BACKGROUND

  • Assistant Professor (2022-present), University of Maryland at College Park, MD
  • Faculty Specialist (2018-2022), University of Maryland at College Park, MD
  • Postdoctoral Researcher (2016-2018), University of Maryland at College Park, MD

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • International Association for Fire Safety Science

  • Material flammability
  • Fire toxicity
  • Suppression
  • Application of non-intrusive experimental methods to fire science problems
  • Wildfire detection, monitoring, and forecasting

  • Characterizing flammability and thermal protection of fabrics using milligram-sized samples

           Sponsor: USArmy DEVCOM Soldier Center via UMass-Lowell

           Sponsor: University of Maryland Grand Challenges Program, Division of Research

ENFP300 Fire Protection Fluid Mechanics

ENFP312 Heat and Mass Transfer

ENFP620 Fire Dynamics Laboratory

• DeBeer, J.A., Raffan-Montoya, F., Stoliarov, S.I., “A Milligram-scale Flame Calorimeter Pyrolyzer System Used to Emulate Burning of Non-thermally-thin Solid Samples,” Fire and Materials, 2021.



• Morgan, A.B., Stoliarov, S.I., Levchik, S.V., Raffan-Montoya, F., Knapp, G., “Smolder to Flaming Transition in Furniture-New Test Method Development and Material combination Effects,” Polyurethanes Technical Conference, American Chemistry Council, October 2021.



• DeBeer, J.A., Raffan-Montoya, F., Stoliarov, S.I., “Milligram-scale Flame Calorimetry: Novel Design of a Pyrolyzer System used to Emulate the Burning Behavior Exhibited by Cone Calorimetry Samples,” 12th U.S. National Combustion Meeting, The Combustion Institute, 2021.



• Hamel, C., Raffan-Montoya, F., Stoliarov, S.I., “A Method for Measurement of Spatially Resolved Radiation Intensity and Radiative Fraction of Laminar Flames of Gaseous and Solid Fuels,” Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science 104, June 2019.



• Jung, D., Raffan-Montoya, F., Ramachandran, R.i, Zhang, Y., Islamoglu, Timur, M.G., Qian, E.A., Dziedzic, R.M., Farha, O.K., Stoliarov, S.I., and Spokoyny, A.M., “Cross-linked Porous Polyurethane Materials Featuring Dodecaborate Clusters as Inorganic Polyol Equivalents,” Chemical Communications 55, 2019.



• Raffan-Montoya, F., Stoliarov, S.I., Levchik, S., Eden, E., “Screening Flame Retardants Using Milligram-scale Flame Calorimetry,” Polymer Degradation and Stability 151, May 2018.



 

University of Maryland Team Enters XPRIZE Competition to End Wildfires

Researchers join $5 million competition to supress wildfires via rapid, autonomous response systems. 

Gemstone Team Wins 2023 ‘Do Good’ Showcase Prize to Build Wildfire Drone

Undergraduate research team advised by Raffan-Montoya wins award to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle that could advance wildfire research. 

Collaborative Engineering Team Awarded Grand Challenges Grant

Funding will support an interdisciplinary project geared towards wildfires and WUI fire behavior.

Maryland Engineers Awarded Grants to Address Humanity's Grand Challenges

Twelve projects led by or involving Maryland Engineering faculty have been awarded funding through the Grand Challenges Grants Program, the largest and most comprehensive program of its kind ever introduced at the University of Maryland.

Thomas Roche Receives 2022 Bryan GRA Award

Roche, who will begin his master's program in the fall, will focus his research on toxic products of combustion using milligram-scale fuel samples.

Rewiring the Student Network

As curriculum shifted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Clark School discovered new ways for students to benefit from collaboration in class, engage with the university community, and build relationships with their peers.

Christmas Trees Are Festive, and Potentially Hazardous

FPE hosts its 5th annual Christmas tree fire safety demonstration, steered by alum Isaac Leventon.