This short course introduces students to the mathematical concepts underlying the behaviour and propagation of bushfires. It explores how environmental factors such as wind, terrain, and fuel conditions influence fire dynamics, and how these are incorporated into mathematical frameworks to predict bushfire spread and intensity. The course also highlights the use of advanced modelling techniques and real-world applications in fire management and emergency response.
By the end of the course, participants will:
Bushfires are a significant natural hazard in Australia and globally. Mathematical modelling plays a crucial role in: Predicting fire spread and intensity; Supporting emergency response and evacuation planning; Designing fire mitigation strategies; Advancing scientific understanding of fire dynamics. This course is ideal for students and researchers in applied mathematics, environmental science, physics, engineering, and computational modelling, as well as professionals in emergency services and land management.
This course is designed to be accessible to participants from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. While no advanced mathematical training is required, participants are expected to have:
While mathematical concepts will be explored in the context of bushfire spread prediction, no prior knowledge of bushfire science is required.
No pre-reading is necessary to prepare for the course, but students are encouraged to review:
Introductory chapters from any standard text on mathematical modelling in the physical or environmental sciences
Professor Jason Sharples is an internationally recognised authority in dynamic bushfire behaviour and extreme bushfire development, whose pioneering research has extensively influenced both policy and practice in Australia and internationally. As an expert advisor and witness to the NSW Independent Bushfire Inquiry following the 2019-20 Black Summer fires, the resulting recommendations are framed by Sharples’ research. He has extensive experience in practice-led bushfire research, close engagement with government and the emergency services industry, and broad community outreach.
William graduated Monash University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science (Applied Mathematics and Physics) and Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) with Honours (H1).
William worked as a consulting engineer for two years in the offshore and mining industries where he spent time in a marine and infrastructure team, structural engineering team and system safety team in Melbourne, and 3 months working in the Houston, Texas office. Here William developed skills in programming, modelling, project management and research through working on many multidisciplinary projects.
From 2015 to 2020, William worked as a computational modeller at CSIRO Data61 within the Natural Hazards team, predominantly in the bushfire space. Here, William mainly developed, tested and used Spark – CSIROs wildfire modelling software, as well as contributing to research in the wildfire modelling space.
From 2020 to 2022, William was part of the Bushfire Adaptation team where he focussed on the impact of bushfires on people and the built environment, from the household scale to the creation of state-wide and national bushfire potential maps.
Since July 2022, William has been part of CSIRO Data61 where he is again working on Spark and helping it become Australia’s new national fire spread simulator.