Our Team

Dr. Gottuk is President of Gottuk Engineering and has over 30 years of experience. He is a recognized expert in fire detection, fire dynamics and forensics and is well published in the technical literature. He draws on his extensive experimental background and his long involvement in national codes and standards to provide clients practical and technically sound solutions to their problems. Dr. Gottuk has evaluated fire development and fire protection systems in shipboard, residential and industrial applications. He has forensically analyzed a wide range of cases and assisted clients in product development and litigation matters. His research includes both basic and applied forensic studies to develop fundamental understandings of fire dynamics, pattern formation and damage assessment as well as to develop practical forensic tools for fire scene investigations and analyses.

Dr. Gottuk has been active in and a member of the NFPA 921 Fire Investigations Technical Committee for over 20 years. He is a contributing author and editor of the SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering and an author of chapters in NFPA Fire Protection Handbook, and the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code Handbook. Topics of Dr. Gottuk’s research include compartment fires; liquid fuel fires; flammable gas fires; electrical fire analysis (beading and other signatures); tools and methods for calcination measurements and analysis; the development and analysis of clean burn; ignitable liquid residue sampling; and effects of accelerants on fire development.

Dr. Gottuk retired from Jensen Hughes after a 30 year career, in which he served many roles, including Chief Technical Officer; VP of Research, Development, Testing & Evaluation; and Director of Forensics. He continues to be active in industry technical committees and working groups, including NFPA 921, NFPA 72, UL 217, UL 2034, OSAC Fire and Explosion Investigation Subcommittee, and the FPRF Detection & Alarm Research Council.