Dr. Bjorn Karlsson received his B Sc degree from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and his PhD from the University of Lund, Sweden. He taught in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Lund, and was also a Visiiting Associate Professor at the University of Maryland. From 2006 to the present he has been a professor in the Department 0f Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iceland. From 2001 to 2010 Dr. Karlsson also served as General Director in the Iceland Fire Authority (IFA); in 2011 he became Director General, and then permanent Director, of the Iceland Construction Authority (ICA), which is responsible for regulations in construction, and in electrical and fire safety, also houses the Fire Service Technical College. Dr. James G. Quintiere received his PhD from New York University in 1970, and is currently Professor Emeritus, Department of Fire Protection, at the University of Maryland in College Park. He has over thirty years of experience in fire research and teaching, and has written the popular textbook PRINCIPLES OF FIRE BEHAVIOR, and co-authored ENCLOSURE FIRE DYNAMICS with Bjorn Karlsson. He has investigated numerous fire disasters, including the Branch Davidian Compound fire in Waco, Texas, and the 1986 New Year's Eve DuPont Plaza fire in Puerto Rico. His testimony during the civil trial on the Waco tragedy was pivotal to the jury's conclusion that the fires were not the result of federal authorities' actions. Dr. Quintiere is the author of more than 75 journal publications and reports, and is the past chair, International Association for Fire Safety Science. He is also the recipient of the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal (1976) and Silver Medal (1982). Dr. Nils Johansson holds a PhD in fire dynamics, with his thesis on Fire Dynamics in Multi-Room Compartments. He has more than five years of experience of teaching fire dynamics, and he is currently Course Administrator for the courses Fire Dynamics and Advanced Fire Dynamics, at the division of Fire Safety Engineering at Lund University.
