PICS Colloquium with Professor Gianluca Iaccarino of Stanford University

Gianluca Iaccarino

Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director, Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering

Title:

Ensemble Computations – Present and Future of Engineering Computing

Author:

Gianluca Iaccarino, Stanford University

Abstract:

Computer simulations are pervasive in science and engineering. Computations, together with theoretical analysis and experiments, constitute the foundation for building knowledge, whether it be to investigate a new physical phenomena or to assess the performance of an innovative device. However, a single computation, despite its sophistication and complexity, can rarely provide sufficient and credible evidence to support a decision. To build confidence in computed outcomes, one typically conducts sensitivity analyses, investigates uncertainty, and explores design variations. All these approaches require an ensemble of computations whose results we combine rigorously via statistical analysis or optimization. In this talk we discuss the use of ensemble of simulations for multidisciplinary design under uncertainty; we have developed novel algorithms to handle ensemble with different fidelity implemented in a new programming environment that enables the efficient use of next generation HPC supercomputers. I will also provide a perspective on the present and the future of computational engineering research at Stanford.

Bio

Gianluca Iaccarino is Director of the Institute for Computational Mathematical Engineering  and a professor in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. He received his PhD in Italy from the Politecnico di Bari (Italy) and spent several years at NASA Ames research center before joining  the faculty at Stanford in 2007. Since 2014 he serves as the lead for the DOE-funded PSAAP Center at Stanford focused on multiphysics simulations, uncertainty quantification and exascale computing.