U of I lands $1.4M grant for wildland fire research

IBR STAFF//August 6, 2025//

College of Natural Resources students work with the Ember Generator for Forest Fire Simulation. The Ember Generator is used to simulate wildfire conditions and allow for the study of ember propagated wildfires. (PHOTO: U of I)

IBR STAFF//August 6, 2025//

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Key Highlights

University of Idaho awarded $1.4 million NSF grant for wildland fire research
Funding will support nine doctoral-level researchers over three years
Research areas include fire physics, forest regeneration, and rural resilience

A grant in the amount of $1.4 million from the National Science Foundation will help support research into wildland fires by an Idaho school.

The funds were awarded to University of Idaho in Moscow, and the school will use the money to bring aboard nine additional researchers at the doctoral level. They will “research and envision new projects in fire physics, mitigation and forest regeneration and strengthen the resilience of rural communities to wildfires and other natural hazards.”

Researchers will work with NSF EPSCoR-funded postdoctoral scientists and faculty at U of I. The funds from the grant are a three-year award and is awarded to selected institutions within the EPSCoR jurisdiction.

“Wildland fire is inherently complex. It can have catastrophic impacts on human communities, yet it is also an essential natural disturbance in many types of ecosystems,” said Jessica Miesel, associate professor in the Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences and a co-principal investigator of the grant. “Understanding fire requires an interdisciplinary scientific approach, as well as close partnerships between scientists and land managers to develop practical and effective management solutions.”

An experiment is conducted on the College of Natural Resources Ember Generator for Forest Fire Simulator. The Ember Generator is used to simulate wildfire conditions and allow for the study of ember propagated wildfires. (PHOTO: U of I)

Miesel added that the “award will help prepare future professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to create practical solutions.”

According to a release from U of I, fellows have the opportunity to earn a doctorate in either bioinformatics and computational biology, environmental science or water resources.

Research related to wildland fire science will be conducted by the fellows, guided by research faculty. Students also have the option to earn an environmental education and science communication graduate certificate through the university’s McCall Outdoor Science School.

“U of I is Idaho’s only Carnegie R1 university and a national leader in foundational and use-inspired wildland fire science,” said Jerry McMurtry, dean of the U of I College of Graduate Studies and principal investigator of the grant. “We’re well positioned to equip future scientists with the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills needed to address wildland fire challenges facing our world today and in the future.”