Hawkins - Forensic Investigators

BE(Mech)

Mechanical Engineering University of Sydney
1992 Hons (II)1

PhD

University of Sydney, 1996

CEng

Chartered Engineer

MEI

Member of the Energy Institute

James joined Hawkins in September 2008. He is a fire investigator, specialising in shipping, but also undertakes transport and land-based fire investigations. He is a mechanical engineer with many years of combustion research.

James spent two years at CWA International carrying out investigations of ship and cargo fires worldwide, including several fires on container carriers and tanker, bulker and general cargo vessel fires.

James qualified as a Mechanical Engineer at Sydney University and then undertook a PhD in Combustion.  He conducted research in turbulent flames, looking at flame ignition, propagation and stability. After 3 years as a Research Fellow at Sydney he moved to England to take up a research position at Cranfield University.

He continued turbulent flame research and provided consultancy services to engine manufacturers in power generation and the automotive industry.  He also examined the stability of hydrogen flame stability and details of flame structure. 

In 2001 he was awarded a Fellowship by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council to investigate flame propagation in stratified fuel mixtures, addressing flame speed and flammability limits.  He has an extensive list of research publications. James is an Associate based in our Cambridge office.