The winner of this year’s “IWMA Young Talent Award / Ph.D.” was Dr. Topi Matti Sikanen. The title of his winning Ph.D. thesis: “Simulation of Transport, Evaporation and Combustion of Liquids in large-scale Fire Incidents”. To give Dr. Sikanen the opportunity to present his thesis to a larger audience, IWMA had invited him to Berlin, to the 19th International Water Mist Conference.
In 2008, Dr. Sikanen started working for VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland, with a special focus on fire safety related topics. He defended his thesis in January 2018 at Aalto University.
He says: “My research interests have been numerical simulation of fire phenomena, especially high-speed sprays and pool fires.”
Dr. Sikanen currently works as a consultant for Fire Safety Design and Consultants Markku Kauriala Ltd.
"Next year the award will once again go to the author of the best master thesis. Submission deadline is 30th April 2020. Details can be found on the IWMA webpage", explains IWMA General Manager Bettina McDowell.
The winner of the "IWMA Young Talent Award" receives a prize money of 1,000.00 € and a one year free IWMA membership. IWMA invites the winner to the International Water Mist Conference where he or she will have a slot in the conference programme to present the thesis. IWMA also pays for travel and accommodation.