Numerical simulation is ubiquitous in every branch of science, technology and engineering as a critical component of fundamental or applied research, prediction of physical processes and development of products.
Everyday examples include atmospheric modelling for short term weather forecasts, airflow simulation to improve aircraft aerodynamics and atomic-scale modelling for new drug design.
Scientists employ computational physics to study supernovae, for fundamental research in turbulence and for computer simulations of high-energy particle collisions in accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider, to name but a few.
Research using computer simulation lies at the heart of many of the technological, societal and existential challenges we currently face, for example creating advanced materials for energy generation and storage, climate modelling and the design the next generation of fusion reactors.
The MPhil programme in Scientific Computing at the University of Cambridge is a full-time course which provides world-class education on high performance computing and advanced algorithms for numerical simulation at continuum and atomic-scale levels.
The course trains early-career scientists not only in the use of existing computational software, but also in the underlying components of the simulation pipeline, from mathematical models of physical systems and advanced numerical algorithms for their discretisation, to object-oriented programming and methods for high-performance computing for deployment in contemporary massively parallel computer architectures (supercomputers).
As a result, course graduates have rigorous research skills and are formidably well-equipped to proceed to doctoral research or directly into employment.
The highly transferable skills in algorithm development and high-performance computing make our graduates extremely employable in all sectors of industry, commerce and finance, including aerospace, manufacturing, energy, hedge funds and fintech.
The strong links the course has with industrial partners provide immediate benefits through industry-led research projects, with longer-lasting returns as graduating students move their skills into the job market, both within and beyond academia.
The MPhil in Scientific Computing is suitable for graduates from any discipline of natural sciences, technology or engineering, who have good mathematical and computational skills.
Picture Credits:
* Jiawei (Lara) Lu, “Multiphyics Simulations of Hypersonic Flows” MPhil in Scientific Computing 2021
* Jakob Schoser “IMEX Schemes for Low Speed Plasma-Substrate Interaction” MPhil in Scientific Computing Dissertation 2022;
* Niamh O’Neill, “Crumbling Crystals: On the Dissolution Mechanism of NaCl in Water” MPhil in Scientific Computing 2021