The advent of fast, inexpensive and ubiquitous computing has radically changed the practice of engineering. At the heart of engineering is the use of models of and data from physical phenomena and systems to predict their behavior, so that their responses can be tailored and/or controlled to meet design requirements. Modern computational modeling and data analysis enables predictions of unprecedentedly fidelity and reliability, which is allowing the analysis, design, control and operation of ever more complex systems.
In the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, we advance computational technology in such areas as solution of PDEs, optimization and inverse problems, image analysis, data assimilation and uncertainty quantification. We also deploy computational tools to address important technological and scientific issues in a wide range of fields, including solid and fluid mechanics, geosciences, bio-medicine, energy storage and robotics. This work often benefits from partnerships with the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences and the Texas Advanced Computing Center.
