Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2011
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2006
  • B.S., Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2004
  • B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2003
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer, Hawaii, #PE-20940
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, Massachusetts, #52693
  • Professional Engineer, Oregon, #97257PE
  • Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
  • PADI Certified Open Water Scuba Diver

Dr. Wolf specializes in heat transfer and thermodynamics. Her work at Exponent also includes investigating the origin and cause of fires and explosions. 

She has conducted scene and laboratory inspections for incidents involving a variety of construction and consumer products, including water heaters, space heaters, gas piping, gasoline dispensing systems, and plumbing fittings. She has focused on incidents involving gas systems and gas appliances, including residential customer and distribution system incidents, and has worked with gas system models including Synergi.

Additionally, Dr. Wolf has broad experience in laboratory and field testing, including the design, construction, and instrumentation of customized experimental apparatus for project-specific problems. Examples include gasoline aging and gas can explosion testing. She also has extensive experience with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) -containing products including electrical equipment such as transformers and light ballasts.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Wolf was a Senior Engineer at BlazeTech, Corp., focusing on heat transfer, fire, and safety related projects. She created analytical and numerical models for a variety of heat transfer and fluid projects including burn injury of human skin, thermal deflection, humid heat transfer, cavity formation, and composite degradation. Her experimental work there included the design and instrumentation of laboratory and field fire and heat transfer tests, and hyperspectral image analysis of material streams for separation. She designed and developed novel fire protection systems, including foaming fire suppression systems.

Dr. Wolf's academic work focused on energy use and environmental impact of manufacturing systems. As a researcher at Politecnico di Milano and ITIA-CNR and graduate student at MIT's Environmentally Benign Manufacturing Lab, she focused on the design of recycling systems as manufacturing systems, including performance analysis and facility design. She served as an environmental impact consultant on several research projects while at MIT, including tracking the environmental impact of waste after disposal and evaluating individual environmental impact based on personal lifestyle. Her research interests continue to include green manufacturing and the thermodynamics of materials systems including recycling systems. Also while at MIT, she designed testing apparatus and mechanical components including tooling for underwater robotics systems.