معرفی
Ofodike Ezekoye is a Professor and holds multiple endowed chairs at the University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on combustion, heat transfer, and fire safety engineering, particularly in high-temperature systems like combustion engines, furnaces, and structure fires. He has led over 200 peer-reviewed publications and secured funding from agencies including the Department of Commerce, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and Department of Energy (DOE). His current work addresses thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries, fire risk modeling, and energy-efficient furnace optimization.
Research Interests: Ezekoye’s expertise spans combustion fundamentals, fire dynamics, and energy systems. He leads the UT Fire Research Group, investigating fire safety in residential and industrial contexts, including firebrand ignition mechanisms, battery failure analysis, and smoke transport in high-rise buildings. His interdisciplinary approach combines experimental methods with computational modeling (e.g., CFD, Bayesian inference) to address practical challenges in fire forensics and sustainable engineering.
Awards: He holds prestigious chairs such as the Cockrell Family Dean's Chair in Engineering Excellence and the John T. MacGuire Professorship. His funded projects include smart manufacturing for steam-methane reformers and multi-objective optimization of insulation materials for sustainable designs.
Key Contributions: Developed methodologies for fire origin determination via Bayesian inference, ultrasonic inspection of lithium-ion batteries, and reduced-order models like Fire-STORM for high-rise fire simulations. Collaborates with industry partners on real-world applications like furnace heat integration and battery safety standards.
Labs/Groups: UT Fire Research Group, with active projects in battery thermal management, fire plume modeling, and acoustic-based fire detection systems.
