Dr. Jonathan Hodges
PhD, MS
Manager, Research, Development, Testing + Evaluation Division
Areas of Expertise
VA
Dr. Jonathan Hodges leads a research group in the Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation Division at Jensen Hughes, focusing on the intersection of risk assessment, computational modeling, data analytics and artificial intelligence. With eight years of expertise in sensors, robotics, computational modeling, risk assessment and machine learning, he has worked on countless commercial safety assessments and conducted state-of-the-art research in the field. As Service Line Leader in Advanced Modeling, Dr. Hodges oversees technical quality in modeling efforts across the company. He is also an adjunct assistant professor with Clemson University, where he serves on Ph.D. committees for students in the Civil Engineering department.
In
the commercial sector, Dr. Hodges leads a team responsible for the software
development of the DataAdvisr platform, an artificial intelligence-based
software for the nuclear sector that streamlines the analysis of reports. A
software developer and code contributor to several open-source software
packages, he actively supports the development of the Fire Dynamics Simulator
(FDS) source code managed by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology.
Dr.
Hodges actively participates in several industry task groups, with a primary
focus on model verification, validation and documentation, digitalization,
artificial intelligence, and risk assessment in the field of fire protection.
He is a member of the SFPE task group that updates the SFPE guidance on fire
model substantiation and participates in the SFPE Foundation’s grand challenge
initiative (GCI). He is also a member of task groups focused on risk assessment
in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI).
Education / Certifications
- PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
- MS, Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University
- BS, Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University
- Member, Society of Fire Protection Engineers
See Insights from Dr. Jonathan Hodges
Fire Science Show - 167 - CFD for consequences and fire growth with Jonathan Hodges
27 Sep 2024
The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants.
In this episode we talk with Jonathan Hodges of the Jensen Hughes on his experience with using advanced modelling in the realm of fire safety engineering. Jonathan sheds light on how the modelling is used at various Jensen Hughes offices around the world, highlighting interesting differences they see across their practice.
The core of the talk revolves around using CFD for modeling the consequences of fires, versus using it to assess the fire growth. While the first one is a commonly practiced in offices across the world, the growth part is kind of a challenge. We go into how CFD can help us develop better fire scenarios, and how they can be further improved through an influx of experimental data.
In the final part of the talk we are looking ahead, as we explore the transformative potential of AI-driven CFD surrogate modeling and GPU-based solvers, including the possibility conducting real-time CFD simulations without the prohibitive computational costs—this could soon be a reality.
As we discuss these innovations, it becomes clear how they could impact fire safety engineering globally, providing deeper insights into fire dynamics and more robust engineering solutions.