Our chief scientist Anne Steen-Hansen has from 1 August 2019 started working as a professor in fire safety engineering at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. Anne will remain 30 % at RISE Fire Research in Trondheim. We would like to congratulate Anne and tell you a few words about her scientific journey so far.
Anne started working at the fire laboratory in 1991 (then SINTEF NBL, later SP Fire Research, today RISE Fire Research), and has through her long career worked with a wide range of topics within fire safety engineering and fire safety science. As Anne likes to say, she has worked with fire safety of everything from tea candles to large oil platforms.
-I am very happy for this chance to develop as a scientist and help contribute to a fire safe community. I am also glad that when starting this new chapter, I will still be able to have a close connection to the fire laboratory, she says.
Science communication
In 2002, Anne obtained her PhD in building materials, with the thesis No fire without smoke. Prediction models for heat release and smoke production in the SBI test and the Room Corner test based on Cone Calorimeter test results. The catchy start of the title reflects Anne’s ability to communicate scientific content in an understandable and engaging way. This is an ability that she has utilised in her numerous publications, as well as in lectures and presentations given in various national and international forums.
Words matter
Anne has through her career been a key player in several different areas of fire science and engineering; this includes contributions to Norwegian and European standardization work and numerous scientific boards and committees. She has also been a long-time member of the national fire terminology committee KBT. Her sharp eye for proper use of fire terminology and correct grammar has been a great resource (and sometimes led to frustration?) for her colleagues.
Professor president
Anne is not only a professor, -she is also a president. A few years ago she was elected president of The European Group of Organisations for Fire Testing, Inspection and Certification (EGOLF). Through EGOLF and other forums, Anne has established an impressive network of contacts, within the fire community and beyond.
Funding fire safety
During recent years, Anne has been a monumental driving force in obtaining more funding for fire safety in Norway, which led to the establishment of the Fire Research and Innovation Centre (FRIC) in 2019. Anne is the Centre Director of FRIC, a position she will keep also after becoming a professor.
Congratulations
Becoming a professor is an impressive accomplishment and we congratulate Anne in this much deserved acknowledgement of her competence and abilities. We also look forward to continuing working with Anne as our colleague in the years to come.
Congratulations, Anne!