The NexGen approach

One program.
From source to person.

Environmental and occupational science often encounters hazards retrospectively, typically as particulate mass detected by monitors after the relevant source conditions and material history have dissipated. NexGenPPT addresses the entire exposure chain, from source to individual. At the source, the team generates fires, wildland–urban interface smoke, and lithium-ion thermal runaway under controlled conditions to characterize their emissions. At the individual level, the group engineers samplers, filters, and protective materials to determine what is inhaled, absorbed, or transported beyond the workplace.

Critical scientific questions arise between these endpoints, including how materials age, absorb and release contaminants, and fail during service, as well as how predictive models can capture these processes. Each stage informs the others. For example, a smoke-chemistry result may prompt revision of a glove standard, while a decontamination failure can guide the design of subsequent samplers. When a model diverges from observation, the discrepancy is interpreted as an indication of missing physical mechanisms rather than random error.