Severo Ochoa Postdoc Trainee in LSSC GROUP (Barcelona, 1984)

Francesc Verdugo is since June 2020 a Severo Ochoa Postdoc Trainee in LSSC research group at CIMNE, a highly interdisciplinary research team led by Prof. Santiago Badia. 

The main research lines of LSSC focus on the development of novel/advanced finite element (FE) discretization techniques and high-performance algorithms and codes for the simulation of complex physical phenomena governed by Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). The members of the team have their expertise on applications in science/engineering, applied mathematics, numerical analysis, computer science, and their tight interdisciplinary collaborative effort.

Verdugo is a civil engineer and a PhD in Civil Engineering by the Technical University of Barcelona (2013) and researcher at CIMNE since 2016. As a Severo Ochoa Postdoc Trainee, the functions of Francesc Verdugo in LSSC research group at CIMNE are to plan and conduct high-quality research under the supervision of Dr. Santiago Badia, collaborate with various research groups across Europe and elsewhere, document and disseminate the research results within CIMNE and externally, among others.

INTERVIEW WITH FRANCESC VERDUGO

-What new challenges does this position imply for your research career?

This position is an opportunity to do high-quality research and to keep collaborating with several research groups in Europe and elsewhere.

-What do you think large-scale computing can bring to society, especially in these turbulent times?

The current pandemic has demonstrated the importance of predicting the evolution of complex systems and HPC is the tool that makes it possible.

-What does it mean for a researcher to work in a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence?

It is an honor to be awarded this position that will allow me to continue my research agenda at CIMNE.

-What topics are you focusing your research on?

The motto of my research is to foster the adoption of large-scale scientific computations in a wider range of scientific domains. Researchers, who need powerful simulations, are not necessary experts on programming super computers. Thus, simplifying access to HPC simulations via new tools and methods is currently of great importance.

-What are the challenges at LSSC in the coming years?

To perform excellent research despite the difficulties of the current moment.