Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2023
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Wyoming, 2018
  • B.S., Energy Systems Engineering, University of Wyoming, 2014
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, California, #M42172
  • Professional Engineer, Colorado, #PE.0064210
  • FI-210, Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination
  • Fire Investigation 1A (Cause and Origin), California Office of State Fire Marshal (CA)
Professional Affiliations
  • American Chemical Society (member)
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (member)
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (member)

Dr. Rundel specializes in combustion chemistry, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and energy systems. He is experienced in using a combination of experimental and modeling techniques to study the kinetics of combustion systems. Dr. Rundel leverages his expertise in these areas to investigate complex phenomena in thermal-fluid science, including combustion systems, fires, and energy system performance.

Dr. Rundel has experience conducting laboratory tests on various combustion experiments including premixed flames, diffusion flames, and flow-tube pyrolysis. He has used scanning mobility particle sizers (SMPS) along with a diverse set of mass spectrometry techniques (AMS, PIMS, GC-MS, and MALDI-MS) to analyze the physical and chemical characteristics of combustion-generated aerosols. Dr. Rundel also has experience using commercial and open-source software for quantum chemistry calculations (Gaussian), chemical kinetic modeling (CHEMKIN, Cantera), and data analysis (MATLAB, Igor Pro, Python). He also has experience with the design and testing of a custom radiative heating apparatus used for thermal treatment of biological samples.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Rundel was a graduate researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder where he conducted research in the field of combustion chemistry, specifically carbonaceous-particle (soot) formation. His research used aerosol mass spectrometry coupled with vacuum-ultraviolet photoionization to identify and characterize chemical species involved in particle formation to elucidate the mechanisms driving soot formation in combustion system. During his earlier graduate work, Dr. Rundel investigated novel methods of sample preparation for MALDI-MS imaging using thermal denaturation via radiative heating, resulting in a patent. Dr. Rundel also has experience in the utility industry. He has worked in the areas of natural gas distribution, energy services/management for large electric accounts, and operations and maintenance for power plants (coal-fired and natural gas combined cycle).