Hydrogen Safety Panel Selects First Two Mentees

The Hydrogen Safety Panel (HSP), led by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), was established in 2003 to prioritize safety for hydrogen projects. After 20 years of contributions to the field of hydrogen safety, the HSP launched its new Mentoring Program at PNNL earlier this year, aiming to enable the next generation of hydrogen professionals to gain expertise in—and contribute to—hydrogen safety.

Now, the HSP Mentoring Program has selected its first two mentees.

Darren R. Malik is the principal engineer and general manager of testing operations at Baker Engineering and Risk Consultants, where he focuses on modeling flammability and explosion phenomena. Darren has more than 14 years of experience in vapor cloud explosion and structural responding modeling and research and is a certified fire and explosion investigator. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in nuclear engineering and an MS in mechanical engineering.

Monica Salazar-Stuck is a senior technical project manager at Cummins Inc., where she specializes in alternative fuels infrastructure upgrade projects. Her 11-plus years of experience in this field include working with emerging energy technologies like batteries and hydrogen and developing safety protocols for those new technologies. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a BS in electrical engineering technology.

Each mentee has been assigned two mentors from the HSP based on their technical expertise and learning interests. 

Over the course of the two-year program, the mentees will work with their mentors—for at least 16 hours each month—to increase the depth of their hydrogen safety knowledge and skills. By the end of the program, mentees will have completed a series of hydrogen safety training courses and demonstrated their ability to independently contribute to the HSP’s typical activities—and they may even be invited to join the HSP.

“Our mentoring program is more than just a professional development initiative,” said Nick Barilo, Hydrogen Safety program manager at PNNL. “It’s an investment in both people and the widespread use of hydrogen. By fostering connections between industry leaders and emerging talent, we provide a platform that supports and grows the workforce to enable a safer industry.”

Follow these links to learn more about the Hydrogen Safety Panel or its Mentoring Program.