Wildfire Fellow

Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety•Richburg, SC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

2026 Summer Fellowship — Wildfire Fellowship The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) is seeking fellows to join our team this summer. As an IBHS fellow, you’ll contribute to our mission of strengthening homes, businesses, and communities against severe weather—which means making a difference in the lives of real people. You’ll also work for a world-class organization where integrity and hard work are valued and where crash-testing homes and buildings is all part of the plan for discovering better building methods. Learn more about IBHS at ibhs.org and hear what former interns and fellows have to say about their experience at ibhs.org/intern-with-ibhs. Project Summary The objective of this fellowship project is to develop a method for estimating the temporal evolution of flame volume using a multi-camera imaging approach. A set of cameras will be positioned along a semicircular arc around the fire source, enabling each camera to capture a unique 2D projection of the flame from a different viewing angle. By merging these complementary perspectives, the fellow will work toward reconstructing a dynamic 3D representation of the flame. Accurately capturing the 3D flame volume will support downstream analyses, including estimating the spatial variation of heat flux on nearby targets and improving understanding of flame behavior between two bluff bodies. These insights are critical for characterizing fire exposure, validating computational models, and informing fire safety design. The project is divided into two main phases: Phase 1 – Proof of Concept Using a Burning Crib In this initial phase, the fellow will design and test a workflow for acquiring flame imagery and reconstructing the 3D flame volume for a controlled burning crib experiment. This includes planning camera placement, performing image acquisition, evaluating reconstruction algorithms (e.g., multi-view geometry, tomography, volumetric rendering), and validating the resulting 3D flame model. Phase 2 – Application to a Burning ADU Building on the tools and insights developed in Phase 1, the fellow will apply the methodology to a full-scale fire involving an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). This phase introduces greater complexity—larger flame structures, more dynamic behavior, and increased optical challenges—requiring refinement of the reconstruction pipeline and robust data handling strategies. This fellowship offers hands-on experience in computer vision, fire dynamics, experimental data collection, and 3D reconstruction techniques.

Requirements

Coursework or background in mechanical engineering, fire science, computer science, or related fields
Experience with multi-view imaging, photogrammetry, or stereo vision
Familiarity with image processing libraries (OpenCV, scikit-image, MATLAB Image Processing Toolbox)
Knowledge of fire dynamics and heat transfer principles
Experience working in laboratory or experimental environments
Applicants should be authorized to work in the US.