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		Dr. Pitts is the group leader for the Advanced Fire Measurements Group in the Fire Science Division. He is the project leader for two Laboratory projects on “Improvement and Development of Fire Diagnostics” and “Carbon Monoxide Production and Prediction”, a NIST Advanced Technology Program-funded project on “Carbon Monoxide Monitoring for Fuel Cell Applications”, and a Department of Defense-sponsored project on “Characterization and Identification of Super-Effective Thermal Fire-Extinguishing Agents”. In the past he has had leadership roles in several projects dealing with the selection of alternatives for Halon 1301 in fire extinguishing applications. Dr. Pitts received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia in 1973 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in physical chemistry from the University of California, Los Angles in 1978. His doctoral thesis which was done under the direction of Professor Mostafa El-Sayed was entitled Triplet-Spin Labels in Structural and Dynamic Studies of Mixed Aro-mat-ic Sol-ids. Before joining NIST Dr. Pitts served two years as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow in the Chemistry Division at the Naval Research Laboratory. Research efforts involved laser-based studies of reaction behavior for chemical species which are intermediates in hydrocarbon combustion. Dr. Pitts has over forty publications in refereed journals and monographs and has also authored numerous internal and contract reports. He has made over a hundred presentations as an invited or meeting speaker. His efforts at NIST have focused on the development of diagnostics for characterizing turbulent flow and fires, characterization of chemistry turbulent interactions, and carbon monoxide formation in fires. In addition, he has authored review papers on wind-aided fire spread and carbon monoxide formation in fires and was lead author or coauthor on two extensive reports dealing with possible alternatives to the current halons used for fire extinguishment. Dr. Pitts has been awarded the Department of Commerce Bronze medal for his work on turbulent mixing and flame stabilization mechanisms (1991), the Building and Fire Research Laboratory Communication Award (with W. L. Grosshandler and R. G. Gann) for a report entitled “Evaluation of Alternative In-Flight Fire Suppressants for Full-Scale Testing in Simulated Aircraft Engine Nacelles and Dry Bays” (1994), and the Department of Commerce Silver Medal for his work on carbon monoxide formation in fires (1996). Dr. Pitts is a member of the Combustion Institute, American Physical Society, and the International Association for Fire Safety Science. He is an active reviewer for numerous journals and funding agencies and has served on various review panels. Dr. Pitts was a member of the advisory committee and organized the poster session for the Twenty-Third International Symposium on Combustion, was a member of the Site Selection Committee for the Twenty-Eighth International Symposium on Combustion, was the program chair for the First Joint Meeting of the United States Sections of the Combustion Institute, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Section of the Combustion Institute, and serves as a member of the Program Review Subcommittee for the Combustion Institute.
William M. Pitts Education University of Virginia, B.S.,Chemistry, 1973 University of California,  Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, 1978 Position Leader Fire Metrology Group Fire Research Division Building and Fire Research Laboratory

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