Rodney A. Bryant (Fed)

Dr. Bryant is a project leader at the National Fire Research Laboratory (NFRL).  His research interests include metrology, optical diagnostics, fluid dynamics, and heat transfer. Dr. Bryant directs research projects focused on developing a robust system of measurement capabilities and best practices for generating high‑quality data at the NFRL.  The work provides a model for advancing metrology in large-fire testing.

Dr. Bryant joined NIST in 1998 as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow.  During that appointment he conducted research to characterize the turbulent mixing of gaseous jets using Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV).  Since then, Dr. Bryant has directed and contributed to a variety of projects within the Fire Research Division.  Major accomplishments include conducting the first ever characterization of a full-scale fire-induced doorway flow using PIV, developing procedures to estimate the uncertainty of heat release rate and heat flux measurements in large-scale fire tests, improving the measurement accuracy of NFRL’s large-scale calorimeters, and characterizing the effectiveness of fire extinguishing agents.

Dr. Bryant was awarded the Department of Commerce Gold (2019) and Bronze (2019) Medals for Scientific/Engineering Achievement for developing advanced measurement capabilities and executing high-impact fire experiments at the NFRL. He has published over 50 journal articles, conference papers, and reports.  Dr. Bryant is an active reviewer for major journals in fire, combustion, heat transfer, and fluids research; as well as a member of the International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS) and the Combustion Institute.