Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Cornell University, 2011
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, 2005
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer, Illinois, #62066182
  • Professional Engineer, Indiana, #PE12100315
  • Professional Engineer Chemical, Louisiana, #PE.0050742
  • Professional Engineer, North Carolina, #060422
  • Professional Engineer, Pennsylvania, #PE099445
  • Professional Engineer, West Virginia, #27440
  • Professional Engineer, Wisconsin, #46956-6
  • 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operation and Emergency Response Certification (HAZWOPER)
  • Certified Process Safety Professional (CCPSC)
  • Credential in Grain Operations Management (CGOM)
  • Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
Professional Affiliations
  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers — AIChE (member)
  • National Association of Fire Investigators — NAFI (member)
  • National Fire Protection Association — NFPA (member)
  • Principal Member: Technical Committee on Water-Cooling Towers (WAC-AAA), NFPA 214: Standard on Water-Cooling Towers, National Fire Protection Association.
  • Design Institute for Emergency Relief Systems — DIERS (member)
  • Grain Elevator and Processing Society — GEAPS (member)

Brenton Cox, Ph.D., P.E., CCPSC, CFEI, is a principal engineer in Exponent's Thermal Sciences practice with over 14 years of experience in industrial incident investigation, combustible dust hazard assessment, and chemical process safety. He is a chemical engineer who specializes in the analysis and prevention of fires, explosions, and chemical releases for chemical manufacturers, agricultural processors, insurers, and legal counsel. He also applies his expertise to evaluate chemical process performance in the context of disputes.

Dr. Cox has helped clients solve technical challenges associated with potentially flammable and/or reactive materials in the chemical process industry, agricultural and agro-industrial facilities, mining and metal processing, pulp and paper manufacturing, hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities, and consumer products. Based in suburban Chicago, Dr. Cox supports projects throughout the Midwest, across the United States, and internationally.

With deep expertise in process safety management (PSM), risk assessment, and incident investigation, Dr. Cox advises clients on best practices across a variety of topics, bringing clarity and technical rigor to regulatory and risk management challenges. These topics include:

  • Managing risks associated with hazardous materials, e.g., flammable liquids, vapors, and combustible dust
  • Advising clients on compliance issues associated with the OSHA Process Safety Management standard (29 CFR 1910.119), the Canadian PSM standard (CSA‑Z767‑17), and NFPA guidelines for flammable materials and combustible dust hazards
  • Investigating and analyzing the direct causes of fires, explosions, and other incidents involving hazardous materials manufacturing, storage, transport, and disposal, as well as consumer products, and authoring expert reports and testifying on related issues in disputes and litigation.

Dr. Cox has conducted risk studies for industrial processes and consumer products. He is a trained process hazard analysis (PHA) facilitator whose consulting services have involved hazard identification (HAZID), checklist, what-if, hazard and operability (HAZOP) studies, quantitative risk assessment (QRA), failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and consequence modeling. He led root-cause investigations and has supported them as a subject matter expert. He has also been trained in advanced emergency relief design through a course developed by the Design Institute for Emergency Relief Systems (DIERS), of which he is a member. He is a member of the technical committee for NFPA 214: the Standard Water-Cooling Towers.

Recognized by the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) as a Certified Process Safety Professional (CCPSC) and an invited member of the CCPSC Exam Subcommittee, Dr. Cox is an active leader and participant in the process safety community, regularly contributing to conferences and technical publications. He has presented papers at the Global Congress on Process Safety (GCPS), the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Hazards Conference, and the Mary K O'Connor Process Safety Center International Symposium, as well as other regional and national conferences. In 2019, he served as chair of the Process Safety Management Mentoring Forum at the GCPS, and in 2026, he chaired the CCPS International Conference at the GCPS. In 2026, he was elected 2nd Vice Chair of the AIChE's Process Safety Division, which places him on a progression pathway to serve as Process Safety Division Chair in 2028.

Dr. Cox also co-authored a chapter on Combustible Dust Risk Assessment in Dust Explosions, a volume of Elsevier's series on Methods in Chemical Process Safety. He has also applied his expertise in chemical process safety to topics relevant to decarbonization, including carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS), hydrogen production via electrolysis, and nuclear power generation.