Simulation & modelling coursework

Reduced state-space models of a DUT to replace FDTD in nanoscale simulation.

Read my master thesis

• Multiscale modelling
  • Non-uniform, subgridding, domain-decomposition, hierarchical,... methods
• Multiphysics modelling
  • Maxwell-Newton, Maxwell-Fourier, Maxwell-Schrödinger, Maxwell-Dirac systems

I coded most of these techniques for 4 large projects, giving me hands-on experience.

Many different modelling techniques applied to the generic wave equation together with various numeric techniques (solving Ax=B, numerical integration, ...).

I coded the electromagnetic finite element method from scratch in MATLAB to obtain resonant modes in a cylindrical waveguide with various dielectrics inside. I then went beyond the project's goals to add state-of-the-art parallel assembly methods for faster computation out of pure passion. I assisted with the FDTD implementation of a wave scattering around a PEC cylinder using a conformal grid method.

Formulate and solve (quasi-)static field problems, calculate forces & energies in them.

Simulated and designed an induction cooktop, enabling the calculation of dissipated heat using the MATLAB PDE Toolbox (FEM method).

Besides a very thorough education in electromagnetism,

I completed two projects:

• Implementation of a leapfrog FDTD simulation of a transmission line with MATLAB.
• Design and optimisation (using various metaheuristic methods) of antennas (4 different types). The simulation was done using NEC software based on the MoM.

Simulated two coupled half-car models (lumped elements) with a road profile as input, using 4th order Runge-Kutta time-stepping.

Using this simulation, I optimised 12 parameters in the virtual design such that the acceleration evolution agrees exactly with the experimentally obtained evolution. After trying different techniques, simulated annealing and Barzilai-Borwein gradient-descent yielded reasonable results.

Everything was coded alone in Python. No libraries were used for the simulation or optimization.

Based on years of knowledge in quantum mechanics and statistical physics, I learned to use a multitude of simulation techniques for different length and time scales of molecules. The precise modelling of atoms themselves (post HF & DFT, force-fields, ...) and molecular dynamics (Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics, NMA, ...) allows the prediction of macroscopic properties of the material (PES sampling). By means of the university's supercomputer, we learned to practically use these techniques.

Here I learned to apply my simulation skills of electromagnetism (EM) and ultrasound (US) to biological matter such as radiation exposure, MRI/doppler/... imaging, neural interaction (deep brain, AC/DC, electrical, magnetic, US, ...), therapy (US destruction, thermal, ...) and others.

The course includes a project where a device is designed by simulating human models, neural models, numerical uncertainties in FDTD, etc. and a practicum into radiation dosimetry and acoustical emission.

This is a project I was involved in for my first university semester and is similar in form to my bachelor project.

The path of a ski jumper was simulated on a ski ramp using Euler's method, accounting for simple aerodynamics and friction.

The ski ramp design was optimised for maximal distance flown in MATLAB. This is a constrained optimisation problem of four parameters.

A miniature ramp of about a meter (similar to a real ski ramp) with a ski jumper (represented as an aerodynamically optimised wooden block) was built and tested.

Understand the flow of fluid, heat and mass by their governing equations. I can model a simple pipe network. A very basic introduction to CFD with Ansys Fluent (some theory and some interpreting of already built files).

This extensive mathematical background underpins all my courses. In relation to simulation & modelling, I can solve advanced differential equations whenever possible and have good understanding of numerical techniques.

I have a good knowledge of statistics.

The course covered classes and objects, inheritance, pointers, templates, the STL, basic networking and Qt. For the programming project, I built an object-oriented physics engine for kinematics in C++.