Elizabeth Carrie Buc

Dr. Elizabeth Buc is recognized as an expert in hazardous materials, failure analysis and fire investigation. She performs failure analyses and site investigations beyond the minimum recognized and professional standard practices and methodologies for engineering failure analysis and fire investigation and provides technical reports and results supported by testing, analysis, codes, standards and literature. She is the president of Fire and Materials Research Laboratory, LLC in Livonia, MI. She holds a bachelors and master’s degree in Chemistry, a doctorate in Materials Science, and a PE in Metallurgical Engineering. She has over 14 years’ experience performing fire and non-fire related failure analysis, research and testing, and examination of artifacts from fires scenes. She enjoys investigating large fire losses and fires involving hazardous materials. She was the lead engineer that developed tests and criteria for assessing the burning rate hazard of solid chemical oxidizers based on research and testing at bench and intermediate scales that was accepted by NFPA 400 Hazardous Materials Code. She researched the fire problem at hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities. She has training in hazard assessment methodologies, failure analysis and hazardous waste operations and emergency response. She serves on hazardous chemical, combustible metals and combustible dust technical committees as well as on technical panels overseeing research related to hazards associated with combustible dusts, pyrotechnics, flammable liquids in intermediate bulk containers, antifreeze in home sprinkler systems and separation distances. She has been retained as a consulting and testifying expert by numerous law firms, insurance companies and corporations. She has testified live in both state and federal courts and has been deposed over 80 times. She is the Lead Project Engineer on a contract with the U.S. Navy to provide failure analysis and fire investigation services. She has assisted OSHA in the investigation of an industrial accident. She is an active member of the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office Science Advisory Workgroup.