Ruud A.P. van Herpen

Ruud A.P. van Herpen is a Research Fellow in Fire Safety Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and a Professor at Saxion University of Applied Sciences. He holds a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Delft University of Technology (1987) and transitioned to fire safety engineering around 1995. His career includes roles as Technical Director at Nieman Consulting Engineers (2002–2021) and Senior Fire Engineer at Peutz since 2021.

His research focuses on

• Fire behavior in building materials (sandwich panels, insulation)
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for fire-structure interactions
• Pyrolysis modeling
• Mass loss and flammability in pre-flashover fires
• Fire resistance testing
• Scale modeling

His work spans structural engineering, materials science, and fire safety standards.

Van Herpen initiated the post-graduate course Fire Safety Engineering & Management (2004–present) at the Dutch Fire Service Academy. Scientific recognition includes

• Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers (2011)
• 70+ Scopus citations

Recent media engagements address rising residential fire rates in the Netherlands (2023).