Bob Zalosh | AIChE

Bob Zalosh

Primary Consultant
Firexplo

Dr. Zalosh is currently a consultant on industrial fire and explosion protection. He advises clients on hazards and appropriate protection for flammable gases and combustible dusts.  He also does fire and explosion incident investigations and serves as an expert witness in ensuing litigation.

Dr. Zalosh is also a Professor Emeritus of Fire Protection Engineering (FPE) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was a full time FPE Professor from 1990 to 2006.  Prior to joining the WPI faculty, he worked for fifteen years for Factory Mutual Research Corporation in Norwood, Massachusetts, where he served in various positions, culminating as the Manager of the Applied Research Department.  His research activities at FMRC and WPI involved explosion and special fire hazards, of flammable gases and liquids and combustible powders.  While on sabbatical in 2001, Professor Zalosh worked for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazards Investigation Board, assisting the Board and staff in both accident investigations and special hazard investigations.

Dr. Zalosh has authored chapters on explosion fundamentals and explosion protection for the National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Protection Handbook and for the Society of Fire Protection Engineer’s Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering.  His textbook, Industrial Fire Protection Engineering, is published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  He has been a member of numerous government and industry advisory boards and consensus standards writing committees.  He is a Fellow in the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Dr. Zalosh has a B.S., M.S., and PhD in Mechanical Engineering. His research on fire and explosion protection included many projects on hydrogen ignitability, flashbacks, deflagrations, jet flames, and hazard evaluations for a wide variety of applications.