Brian Lattimer

Brian Lattimer is a Professor and Department Head in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, holding the Nicholas and Rebecca Des Champs Chair. He leads the Extreme Environments and Materials Lab, focusing on fire safety, material behavior under extreme conditions, and firefighting technology. Lattimer earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech (1992, 1993, 1996). His career spans academia and industry, including roles as Vice President of R&D at Jensen Hughes and founder of FIre Science Solutions, LLC.

His research interests include thermal-fluid sciences, reacting flows, wildfire mitigation, and robotic firefighting systems. He has secured over $28 million in research funding, leading projects on environmentally friendly firefighting foams, AI-driven fire modeling, and firebrand dynamics. He has authored/co-authored over 169 peer-reviewed publications and mentored 42 graduate and 55 undergraduate students.

Lattimer’s awards include ASME Fellow (2023), Society of Fire Protection Engineers Fellow (2024), and the Harmathy Award (2015). His work on PFAS-free firefighting foams, supported by a $1.2M Department of Defense grant, aims to replace harmful chemicals while maintaining fire suppression efficacy.

He collaborates with industry and government agencies, including the U.S. Navy, Army, and Department of Energy. His lab develops machine learning models and experimental techniques to improve fire safety and material performance in extreme environments.