Phillip Colella
Encyclopedia
Phillip Colella is an American
applied mathematician and the Head of the Applied Numerical Algorithms Group at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center
, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
. He has also worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
. He is known for his fundamental contributions in the development of mathematical methods and numerical tools used to solve partial differential equation
s, including high-resolution and adaptive mesh refinement
schemes. Colella is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences
.
, all in applied mathematics. He received the Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Alexandre Chorin
. He began his research career at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
, University of California, California. His primary area of research involves the development of High-resolution schemes and adaptive mesh refinement
methods for the solution of partial differential equation
s. He has also applied computational methods in a variety of scientific and engineering fields, including low-speed incompressible flow
s, shock wave theory
, combustion
, magnetohydrodynamics
, and astrophysical flows. Colella has also been the leader of a project in NASA
's Computational Technologies for Earth and Space Sciences, called "Block-Structured Adaptive Mesh Refinement Methods for Multiphase Microgravity Flows and Star Formation".
since 2004 and Fellow of Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
(SIAM). He is the recipient of many honors, including the Sidney Fernbach Award
from the IEEE Computer Society
in 1998, given each year to one person who has made "an outstanding contribution in the application of high performance computers using innovative approaches." He has also received the SIAM
/ACM
prize (with John Bell) for computational science and engineering in 2003.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
applied mathematician and the Head of the Applied Numerical Algorithms Group at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center
National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center
The ', or NERSC for short, is a designated user facility operated by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy. It contains several cluster supercomputers, the largest of which is...
, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
. He has also worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
. He is known for his fundamental contributions in the development of mathematical methods and numerical tools used to solve partial differential equation
Partial differential equation
In mathematics, partial differential equations are a type of differential equation, i.e., a relation involving an unknown function of several independent variables and their partial derivatives with respect to those variables...
s, including high-resolution and adaptive mesh refinement
Adaptive mesh refinement
In numerical analysis, adaptive mesh refinement is a method of adaptive meshing. Central to any Eulerian method is the manner in which it discretizes the continuous domain of interest into a grid of many individual elements...
schemes. Colella is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
.
Career
Colella received his bachelor's degree in 1974, Master's degree in 1976, and Ph.D. in 1979 degree from the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, all in applied mathematics. He received the Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Alexandre Chorin
Alexandre Chorin
Alexandre J. Chorin is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley who works in applied mathematics. He is known for his contributions to the field of Computational fluid dynamics....
. He began his research career at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
, University of California, California. His primary area of research involves the development of High-resolution schemes and adaptive mesh refinement
Adaptive mesh refinement
In numerical analysis, adaptive mesh refinement is a method of adaptive meshing. Central to any Eulerian method is the manner in which it discretizes the continuous domain of interest into a grid of many individual elements...
methods for the solution of partial differential equation
Partial differential equation
In mathematics, partial differential equations are a type of differential equation, i.e., a relation involving an unknown function of several independent variables and their partial derivatives with respect to those variables...
s. He has also applied computational methods in a variety of scientific and engineering fields, including low-speed incompressible flow
Incompressible flow
In fluid mechanics or more generally continuum mechanics, incompressible flow refers to flow in which the material density is constant within an infinitesimal volume that moves with the velocity of the fluid...
s, shock wave theory
Shock wave
A shock wave is a type of propagating disturbance. Like an ordinary wave, it carries energy and can propagate through a medium or in some cases in the absence of a material medium, through a field such as the electromagnetic field...
, combustion
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
, magnetohydrodynamics
Magnetohydrodynamics
Magnetohydrodynamics is an academic discipline which studies the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids. Examples of such fluids include plasmas, liquid metals, and salt water or electrolytes...
, and astrophysical flows. Colella has also been the leader of a project in NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Computational Technologies for Earth and Space Sciences, called "Block-Structured Adaptive Mesh Refinement Methods for Multiphase Microgravity Flows and Star Formation".
Awards and honors
Colella is a member of the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
since 2004 and Fellow of Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics was founded by a small group of mathematicians from academia and industry who met in Philadelphia in 1951 to start an organization whose members would meet periodically to exchange ideas about the uses of mathematics in industry. This meeting led...
(SIAM). He is the recipient of many honors, including the Sidney Fernbach Award
Sidney Fernbach Award
The Sidney Fernbach Award established in 1992 by the IEEE Computer Society, in memory of Sidney Fernbach, one of the pioneers in the development and application of high performance computers for the solution of large computational problems as the Division Chief for the Computation Division at...
from the IEEE Computer Society
IEEE Computer Society
The IEEE Computer Society is a professional society of IEEE. Its purpose and scope is “to advance the theory, practice, and application of computer and information processing science and technology” and the “professional standing of its members.” The CS is the largest of 38 technical societies...
in 1998, given each year to one person who has made "an outstanding contribution in the application of high performance computers using innovative approaches." He has also received the SIAM
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics was founded by a small group of mathematicians from academia and industry who met in Philadelphia in 1951 to start an organization whose members would meet periodically to exchange ideas about the uses of mathematics in industry. This meeting led...
/ACM
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
prize (with John Bell) for computational science and engineering in 2003.