On 4^th May, FRISSBE welcomed Jim Bridgeman from the University of Liverpool, who will be based at the ZAG Fire Laboratory until 3^rd July as part of a research visit linked to his doctoral studies.

Jim began his PhD in October 2025 under the title "Unravelling the data behind battery fires", supervised by Dr Martina Manes and Dr Xu Dai at the University of Liverpool, and by Dr Ulises Rojas-Alva at FRISSBE. He is a member of the CDT NoMES (Net Zero Maritime Energy Solutions), a Centre for Doctoral Training jointly supported by EPSRC, the University of Liverpool, and Liverpool John Moores University. His visit to FRISSBE also falls within the framework of the MSCA Staff Exchange project eRISIKO, a consortium that brings together the University of Navarra, Universiti Putra Malaysia, and the University of Liverpool.

Jim's research focuses on the fire behaviour and fire risk of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) in electric vehicles, with particular attention to both the fundamental mechanisms of thermal degradation and the analysis of real-world fire incident data. His doctoral objectives include a systematic literature review on EV fire incidents, an investigation of international standards and data-driven guidelines for safer EV implementation, a comprehensive evaluation of EV fire incident datasets to harmonising data collection practices, and the development of an experimental fire campaign to quantify energy release in EV fires. The overarching aim is to prevent and mitigate the consequences of LIB and EV fires, and to develop resilience and preparedness plans in the maritime industry.

Before returning to academia, Jim worked as a Structural Engineer at Hutchinson Engineering, where he was involved in the structural design of complex steelwork primarily for the telecoms sector, including work for clients such as Ørsted, The Crown Estate, and the Hornsea Offshore Wind project. This professional background gives him a strong grounding in applied engineering standards and report writing to Eurocode and British Standards.

FRISSBE is delighted to welcome Jim to the team and looks forward to the contributions his visit will bring to the ongoing work on battery fire safety research.