Federation for International Refractory Research and Education
News
The Power of Collaboration: My Journey with FIRE - Sido Sinnema
Sido Sinnema, Executive Chief of Staff at FIRE, shares his inspiring journey with FIRE and what makes it so special to him.
It has been quite some time (2006) since I was first introduced to the FIRE community by a colleague. Since then, I have had the privilege of becoming part of a remarkable group of people with diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.
Through FIRE, I have come to appreciate the strong consensus around the importance of international collaboration in research and education within the field of refractories.
For students and young researchers in particular, FIRE offers invaluable early-career opportunities. FIRE is an environment where knowledge is shared openly and where different perspectives come together to advance our field.
And yes, it really is possible to work closely and constructively with competitors. FIRE is a great example of how collaboration can transcend organizational boundaries and create value for everyone involved. I am truly proud to contribute to FIRE’s mission as one of its executives.
Sido Sinnema
FIRE Executive Chief of Staff
From left to right:
- Victor Pandolfelli (University, São Carlos, Brazil)
- Marc Huger (ENSCI, France)
- Jeffrey Smith (University Missouri-Rolla, USA)
- Andreas Buhr (Almatis Inc., Germany)
- Flemming Andersen (Corus, Netherlands)
- Eva Fischboeck (Leoben Montanuniversität, Austria)
- Chris Parr (Kerneos, France)
- Sido Sinnema (Corus, Netherlands)
- Peter Moser (Leoben Montanuniversität, Austria)
- Michel Rigaud (Ecole polytechnique Montréal, Canada)
- Christian Gault (ENSCI, France)
- Eric Blond (Polytech’Orléans, France)
- Christoph Wöhrmeyer (Kerneos, France)
- Harald Harmuth (Leoben Montanuniversität, Austria)
- Marc Fréchette (Pyrotek Inc., Canada)
- T. Ota (Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan)
- Stefan Pirker (RHI-AG, Austria)
- Luis Bittencourt (Magnesita, Brazil)
Last news
2026 FIRE Student Photo Competition dedicated to high-temperature resistant materials
If you are a student or recent graduate (up to 5 years after graduation), we invite you to submit a photo showing a material being able to withstand the power of FIRE. Both refractory and another high temperature resistant material qualify. Whether it is from a lab or industrial environment, we would love to see what amazes you.
Highlight of the members of the Board of Directors - Victor Carlos Pandolfelli
My journey with FIRE began in 2003, together with Prof. Michel Rigaud and other academic and industrial colleagues. In 2005, our first official meeting in Limoges, France, transformed this vision into reality. From the beginning, FIRE was founded on a strong belief in cooperation between universities and industry towards a better education. Its strength has always come from working across institutional, cultural, and national borders.
Contact us and/or Become Member!
Contact us for any information and/or to Become Member of FIRE: fire@ecers.org
