Advancing fire safety from Earth to the moon
Ya-Ting Liao
Associate Professor, Faculty Director of the UL Fire and Combustion Laboratories, Case Western Reserve University
2023-2024 Veale Faculty Fellow
Area of Focus: Studying fire dynamics and combustion phenomena through numerical modeling and experimentation, with applications ranging from space environments to lithium-ion battery safety.
When it comes to advancing protection against fire hazards in some of the world’s most extreme environments, Ya-Ting Liao is leading the charge. But her work doesn’t end in her lab on Euclid Avenue—or even on this planet. Now, she is working with NASA to bring fire experiments to the surface of the moon.
Associate professor and faculty director of the UL Fire and Combustion Laboratories at Case Western Reserve University, Liao specializes in fire dynamics and safety, using a unique blend of numerical modeling and hands-on experimentation. Her research addresses how fires behave in environments where gravity is anything but ordinary: from microgravity on the International Space Station (ISS) to the partial gravity that astronauts will encounter on the moon.
“If a fire occurs in a habitat on the moon, the reduced gravity can yield a more hazardous situation,” she explained. “The research outcome not only improves fire safety in space but also advances our fundamental understanding of fire dynamics, benefiting everyday life on Earth.”
Her collaborations with NASA have led to remarkable opportunities, including sending experiments to the ISS and working with astronauts in real time to ignite and study fires in space. And the work continues, perhaps in a more critical timeline, as NASA works with partners to establish the first long-term presence on the moon through the Artemis program.
Liao also works on projects closer to home. Through partnerships with industry giants like UL and Lubrizol, her lab researches the unique characteristics of lithium-ion battery fires—a growing concern as these batteries power virtually everything, from smartphones to electric vehicles. The research Liao’s team does helps to shape safer products for consumers.
A few years ago, Liao began expanding her focus to include a potential path to take her research to market. A member of the 2023-2024 cohort of the Veale Faculty Fellows program, Liao says the experience helped her see her research through a new lens.
“The fellowship introduced me to entrepreneurship and the possibility of commercialization,” she says. “Most importantly, I learned to evaluate my research impacts from different perspectives, including those of consumers and customers.”
This shift has influenced how she designs and formulates her research, making it more relevant and impactful.
“[What] I learned during this fellowship not only helped me to understand entrepreneurship, but also helped me to design and formulate research better. Many things that we need to consider in commercialization of inventions are also applicable in project design and research proposal development.”
Applications for the Veale Faculty Fellows program are now open.
