Dr. Fessler’s areas of expertise include building mechanical systems, gas and liquid flows, heat transfer, thermodynamics, manufacturing, and risk assessment. In addition to routinely providing consulting services over a wide range of mechanical engineering issues, Dr. Fessler specializes in two areas: testing and analysis of fluid-thermal systems, and risk/safety analysis. The fluid-thermal work frequently consists of performance testing and analysis of building mechanical systems including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, piping and plumbing; temperature, humidity and moisture control; and gas and liquid pipeline flow and leak analyses. Typical components and sub-systems studied have included pumps, valves, chillers, fan-coil units, ventilation systems, heat exchangers, compressors, plumbing systems, and process piping. Dr. Fessler’s risk assessment work typically relates to risk and reliability analyses of new products and systems that are under development. Such systems have included consumer appliances, medical devices, hybrid vehicles, automotive components, security/anti-terrorism technology, and telecommunications equipment. Specific analysis techniques used by Dr. Fessler include Preliminary Hazards Analysis (PHA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Hazards and Operability (HAZOP) studies, Fault Tree/Event Tree Analysis, and Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) evaluations.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Fessler was an Acting Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Stanford University, where he conducted research and taught graduate and undergraduate classes in experimental heat transfer and fluid mechanics.