Conferences and outreach activities
Find out more about our outreach activities in the UK and USA.
2025 16th International Interflam Conference (London, UK)
PhD student Morvarid Koohkhezri presented her research on “A round-robin study from 12 UK fire services on the fire safety of open-sided car parks: is current guidance adequate?” under the supervision of Dr Xu Dai, Dr Martina Manes, and Charlie Hopkin (Ashton Fire Ltd.). This work was also in collaboration with Michael Houghton (Ashton Fire Ltd.), Lynsey Seal (London Fire Brigade), Sara Waring (University of Liverpool), Stephen Welch (University of Edinburgh), and Richard Clark (National Fire Chiefs Council). 
2025 National Fire Chiefs Council Data, Digital and Technology Conference (Solihull, UK)
Dr Martina Manes was invited to the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Data, Digital and Technology Conference on 1st July 2025. She presented the work related to the impact of COVID-19 on fire incidents of houses in multiple occupancy, developed with my MEng Graduate Rachel Foster, and participated with Georgios Tzoumas and Savvas Gkantonas in the panel led by Jo Stoner on the possible approaches to strengthen the collaboration between academia and the Fire and Rescue Services.
2025 5th European Symposium on Fire Safety Science (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
PhD Student Yam Hongxin Zhuang participated in the 5th European Symposium on Fire Safety Science in Ljubljana, Slovenia and contributed with an oral presentation on “A Systematic Review of International Standards and Codes Towards a Unified Framework for Fire Financial Losses” and a poster presentation on “Mapping Fire Variables Related to Costs: A Critical Review of International Fire Statistics” under the supervision of Dr Martina Manes, Dr Xu Dai (University of Liverpool) and Prof Eric S. Lin (NTHU).
2025 NTHU and University of Liverpool Annual Bi-Lateral Conference
PhD Student Yam Hongxin Zhuang presented his ongoing research at the NTHU and University of Liverpool Annual Bi-Lateral Student Conference. He engaged with fellow researchers and received valuable feedback as he continues developing his PhD research under the supervision of Dr Martina Manes, Dr Xu Dai (University of Liverpool) and Prof Eric S. Lin (NTHU).
2025 Structures in Fire Forum (STiFF) (Edinburgh, UK)
On the 7th of April 2025, PhD Student Morvarid Koohkhezri gave a presentation on her 9 months PhD research outcomes with the title of “Round-robin study from engineers of 12 UK fire services on the fire safety design of open-sided car parks” in partnership with Ashton Fire Ltd. and contributions from engineers of 12 UK Fire Services, under the supervision of Dr Xu Dai, Dr Charlie Hopkin (Ashton Fire Ltd.), Dr Martina Manes. It was a great opportunity of brainstorming with academics and professionals from UK Fire Safety Consultancies through prolonged Q&A session. A special thanks to Ashton Fire Ltd. and supervisory group’s continued support and also this event main organizer Dr Dave Rush from The University of Edinburgh for providing interactive academic environment.
2025 National Fire Chiefs Council ACER Conference (East-Midlands, UK)
On the 18th of March 2025, PhD Student Morvarid Koohkhezri and Dr Xu Dai presented their research with the title of “Round-robin study from the fire engineers of 12 UK Fire Services on the design of open-sided car parks”. This research is under the supervision of Dr Xu Dai, Dr Charlie Hopkin (Ashton Fire Ltd.) and Dr Martina Manes. The 2025 ACER Conference was mostly focused on “maximising the benefits of academic research with relevance for fire and rescue services (FRS)” and it was a great chance for multidisciplinary knowledge catch-up and developing further communication with professionals and academics.
2025 SFPE European Conference & Expo (Edinburgh, UK)
Dr Martina Manes was invited to present the outcomes of the EU FireStat Project on behalf of the consortium at the 2025 SFPE European Conference & Expo, receiving positive feedback, which highlights the efforts and work developed by the consortium partners. The support received by the Fire and Rescue Services and authorities across Europe was fundamental for the success of the project. A special thank you goes to SFPE UK Chapter, Karl Wallasch and the scientific committee for the organisation of this unique two-day conference.
PhD Student Yam Hongxin Zhuang presented his research on the systematic review of assessing fire financial losses in buildings under the supervision of Dr Martina Manes, Prof Eric S. Lin and Dr Xu Dai at the 2025 SFPE European Conference & Expo.
PhD student Morvarid Koohkhezri participated in the poster session with the title of “Round-robin study from the fire engineers of 12 UK fire services on the fire safety design of open-sided car parks” at the 2025 SFPE European Conference & Expo. This research is supervised by Dr Xu Dai, Dr Charlie Hopkin (Ashton Fire Ltd.), and Dr Martina Manes.
2024 13th Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science & Technology (AOSFST 2024)
Dr Ulises Rojas-Alva recently presented part of an ongoing project involving Dr Andrea Lucherini and Dr Martina Manes at the 13th Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science & Technology. His work is based on a collaboration between ZAG-FRISSBE and the University of Liverpool, showcasing the aim to advance fire safety solutions.
2024 13th NTHU-University of Liverpool Annual Bi-Lateral Student Conference (Liverpool, UK)
PhD Student Yam Hongxin Zhuang presented his research progress under the supervision of Dr Martina Manes, Prof Eric S. Lin and Dr Xu Dai at the 13th NTHU & UoL Annual Bi-Lateral Student Conference in Liverpool. This was a unique opportunity to connect with the entire cohort of PhD students and engage in meaningful discussions.
2024 Royal Academy of Engineering Awardee Excellence Community Conference (Manchester, UK)
In December 2024, Dr Xu Dai had the distinct honour of being invited by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) to attend the inspiring Awardee Excellence Community Conference in Manchester. The event provided a fantastic opportunity for Xu to connect with RAEng awardees and fellows, fostering meaningful conversations and collaborations to expand network and further professional growth within this remarkable community.
2024 NFPA Conference & Expo (Orlando, Florida, USA)
Jack Salem and Alex Smith (MEng students in Civil Engineering) under the supervision of Dr Martina Manes worked on the NFPA Student Project Initiative in the Summer of 2023 on research focused on “Cooking Practices and Fires in the USA”. As part of this initiative, students were accepted for the presentation and poster session at the 2024 NFPA Conference & Expo (Orlando, Florida, USA) on 17-19th June 2024 and the final report of the project was published on the NFPA website. A special thank you to the NFPA for this unique opportunity and to Jacqueline Wilmot, Birgitte Messerschmidt and all the NFPA panel members for the support and feedback provided during the project.
2024 Fired-Up Conference (Edinburgh, UK)
Yam (Hongxin) Zhuang (PhD Student) currently enrolled in a Dual PhD Scholarship between the University of Liverpool and NTHU in Taiwan under the supervision of Dr Martina Manes, Prof Eric S. Lin, and Dr Xu Dai, attended the Fired-Up Conference (Edinburgh, UK) on 11-12th July 2024. He presented his research on “Fire financial losses: cost components, methodologies, and the impact of fire safety measures”.
2024 Structures in Fire Forum (London, UK)
Rachel Foster (MEng student in Civil Engineering) under the supervision of Dr Martina Manes presented her 3rd year final dissertation on the "Investigation of pre- and post-fire conditions in residential buildings during COVID-19 Based on English Fire Statistics" during the Structures in Fire Forum on 27th September 2024. This investigation provided an alternative perspective to the statistical analysis of fires in Houses in Multiple Occupancy properties identifying trends experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the recorded fire incidents, and how our social lives and the subsequent fire risks were impacted.
