Stoliarov Promoted

The Department of Fire Protection Engineering (FPE) and the A. James Clark School of Engineering extend their congratulations to Stanislav I. Stoliarov, who has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure, effective August 2015.

Stoliarov specializes in material flammability, with a particular emphasis on polymer-based materials. Since joining the University of Maryland, he has developed a new methodology for the parameterization of pyrolysis models for polymers and a new model for heat feedback from an upward spreading flame to a solid combustible surface. He has made a significant impact in the field with his creation of a molecular modeling tool called MD_REACT and a continuum pyrolysis modeling environment called ThermaKin. In addition, he developed several flammability measurement instruments including the Microscale Combustion Calorimeter (ASTM D7309) and Milligram-scale Flame Calorimeter.

Stoliarov has also collaborated with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to develop an accurate model of heat-induced arc formation in residential electrical cables. In one of his newest projects, he is investigating the fire hazards of lithium-ion batteries, a project supported by the Ford Motor Company and the Federal Aviation Administration.

After working as an engineer at the Institute of Energy Problems of Chemical Physics in Moscow, Stoliarov came to the U.S., where he earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from The Catholic University of America in 2000. He went on to become a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, which is where he was introduced to modeling the flammability of polymers.

In 2002, Stoliarov joined the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Fire Resistant Materials Program. At the time, he had no specific plans to become a professor, but had always considered it a possibility. He began to think about it after he met FPE professor emeritus James Quintiere, who suggested he consider a career in academia. Quintiere encouraged him to apply for a professorship if a position came open in the department. Three years later, Stoliarov had his chance.

“I had a great time working at the FAA but I also felt somewhat constrained,” he says. “I had many ideas that I wanted to try, that I felt I would not be able to explore on my own.” A faculty position, he says, offered him the opportunity to try new things on his own terms, for their own sake–something that would be difficult in a setting in which his work had to be aligned with his employer’s goals. He decided to take the plunge, and joined FPE in 2010. He found what he was looking for, and is now the P.I. of a busy research group with members ranging from undergraduates to postdoctoral research associates.

Stoliarov regularly teaches senior-level undergraduate and graduate courses in fire dynamics (ENFP 415 and 651, respectively), and has also developed a course in his area of expertise, material flammability (ENFP 629M). He served as faculty advisor to Team Mulcibler, which won the Lowest Emissions Prize in the 2013 Wood Stove Decathlon. In addition to his faculty duties, Stoliarov is the co-director of FireTEC, FPE’s laboratory testing service that employs undergraduate students to conduct standard and custom fire-related experiments for industrial clients, creating a unique, real-world educational experience.

Stoliarov has received numerous federal and industrial awards for his research, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2014) that supports his study of charring polymers, the Federal Laboratory Consortium’s Excellence in Technology Transfer Award (2010), and SRA International, Inc.’s Technical Achievement Award (2007).

Published April 10, 2015