BFRL Careers

BFRL Careers - Meet Our Staff

Richard G. Gann
photo of Richard Gann
Education
Trinity College, B.S., Chemistry, 1965

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, 1970
Position
Senior Research Scientist
Integrated Performance Assessment Group
Fire Research Division
Building and Fire Research Laboratory

photo of fire test photo of fire safe cigarette SRM Prior to joining NBS/NIST, Dr. Gann had spent two years as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Space Research Coordination Center and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and 4 years as a Research Chemist in the Combustion and Fuels Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory. He also worked briefly for the Plastics and Resins Division of the American Cyanamid Co.

Dr. Gann joined the National Bureau of Standards in 1976 as a Research Chemist. During the next 6 years, he successively became Head of Fire Chemistry Research, Head of Exploratory Fire Research, and an NBS Program Analyst. In 1984, he was a Senior Executive Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. From 1982 until 1999, he led the Fire Science Division in developing the scientific and engineering understanding and metrology for fire research. In 1999, Dr. Gann stepped aside from the Division management to focus his efforts on a small number of high impact projects: standards for reduced ignitions by cigarettes, removing dependence on the ozone-depleting halon fire suppressants, and developing a scientifically sound strategy and basis for including the effects of smoke in fire safety decisions.

Gann's broad research interests include materials flammability, ignition phenomena, flame suppression chemistry, atmospheric and combustion chemical kinetics, smoldering combustion, fire detection and suppression, confined space fires, smoke generation and toxicity, fluid flammability, and fire model validation. He has over 60 personal publications, 350 supervised publications and 400 presentations to university, professional, industrial, and government audiences.

Gann is an active member of the Combustion Institute, having been Program Chairman of the 23rd International Symposium on Combustion, Vice-Chairman of the Publications Committee, and Program Chairman, Treasurer and Chair of the Eastern States Section. He also belongs to the American Chemical Society and the ASTM Committee on Fire Standards. He chairs the National Fire Protection Association Toxicity Technical Advisory Committee and is an alternate member of the Fire Test Committee.

He chaired the Technical Groups under the Cigarette Safety Acts of 1984 and 1990 and the Technical Committee of the Halon Alternatives Research Consortium. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Pi Sigma, and Sigma Xi; and is currently on the Editorial Boards of Fire Technology and Fire and Materials. He also serves as Chair of the ISO TC92 SC3 Subcommittee on Fire Threat to People and the Environment. Dr. Gann is the Technical Program Manager for the Department of Defense's Next Generation Fire Suppression Technology Program.

photo of stack of WTC investigation reports In 2002, Dr. Gann and five NIST colleagues were awarded ASTM’s Simon H. Ingberg Award for “the original and comprehensive work in research, testing and analysis they performed to create the sound scientific basis for ASTM Standard 2187, Test Method for Measuring the Ignition Strength of Cigarettes.” This method was adopted by the State of New York as the basis for the world’s first law requiring less fire-prone cigarettes and has since been adopted by 13 other states and Canada as the basis for similar regulations.

Dr. Gann has been awarded two Department of Commerce Gold Medals, one for development of scientific methods for ignition propensity of cigarettes and selection of alternatives for ozone-depleting fire suppressants and one for his role in the investigation of the World Trade Center disaster. In 2005, he received the E.U. Condon Award for writing the Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers.

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Last updated: 7/15/2008


	BFRL Careers - Meet Our Staff
	Richard G. Gann Education Trinity College, B.S., Chemistry, 1965 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, 1970 Position Senior Research Scientist Integrated Performance Assessment Group Fire Research Division Building and Fire Research Laboratory		Prior to joining NBS/NIST, Dr. Gann had spent two years as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Space Research Coordination Center and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and 4 years as a Research Chemist in the Combustion and Fuels Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory. He also worked briefly for the Plastics and Resins Division of the American Cyanamid Co. Dr. Gann joined the National Bureau of Standards in 1976 as a Research Chemist. During the next 6 years, he successively became Head of Fire Chemistry Research, Head of Exploratory Fire Research, and an NBS Program Analyst. In 1984, he was a Senior Executive Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. From 1982 until 1999, he led the Fire Science Division in developing the scientific and engineering understanding and metrology for fire research. In 1999, Dr. Gann stepped aside from the Division management to focus his efforts on a small number of high impact projects: standards for reduced ignitions by cigarettes, removing dependence on the ozone-depleting halon fire suppressants, and developing a scientifically sound strategy and basis for including the effects of smoke in fire safety decisions. Gann's broad research interests include materials flammability, ignition phenomena, flame suppression chemistry, atmospheric and combustion chemical kinetics, smoldering combustion, fire detection and suppression, confined space fires, smoke generation and toxicity, fluid flammability, and fire model validation. He has over 60 personal publications, 350 supervised publications and 400 presentations to university, professional, industrial, and government audiences. Gann is an active member of the Combustion Institute, having been Program Chairman of the 23rd International Symposium on Combustion, Vice-Chairman of the Publications Committee, and Program Chairman, Treasurer and Chair of the Eastern States Section. He also belongs to the American Chemical Society and the ASTM Committee on Fire Standards. He chairs the National Fire Protection Association Toxicity Technical Advisory Committee and is an alternate member of the Fire Test Committee. He chaired the Technical Groups under the Cigarette Safety Acts of 1984 and 1990 and the Technical Committee of the Halon Alternatives Research Consortium. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Pi Sigma, and Sigma Xi; and is currently on the Editorial Boards of Fire Technology and Fire and Materials. He also serves as Chair of the ISO TC92 SC3 Subcommittee on Fire Threat to People and the Environment. Dr. Gann is the Technical Program Manager for the Department of Defense's Next Generation Fire Suppression Technology Program. In 2002, Dr. Gann and five NIST colleagues were awarded ASTM’s Simon H. Ingberg Award for “the original and comprehensive work in research, testing and analysis they performed to create the sound scientific basis for ASTM Standard 2187, Test Method for Measuring the Ignition Strength of Cigarettes.” This method was adopted by the State of New York as the basis for the world’s first law requiring less fire-prone cigarettes and has since been adopted by 13 other states and Canada as the basis for similar regulations. Dr. Gann has been awarded two Department of Commerce Gold Medals, one for development of scientific methods for ignition propensity of cigarettes and selection of alternatives for ozone-depleting fire suppressants and one for his role in the investigation of the World Trade Center disaster. In 2005, he received the E.U. Condon Award for writing the Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers.