Jordi Vila-Pérez

Jordi Vila-Pérez

Scientist

National Center for Atmospheric Research

About me

I am a project scientist in the High Altitude Observatory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. My research deals with the development of numerical methods for space weather applications. More broadly, my research covers a diverse array of topics, including the study of the upper atmosphere, compressible aerodynamics and, more broadly, the development of low and high-order computational methods, spanning from finite volume schemes, finite differences to high-order finite element methods, such as continuous and discontinuous Galerkin methods.

Before joining NCAR, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, where I worked with Prof. J. Peraire and Dr. N.C. Nguyen. Previously, I earned my PhD in Applied Mathematics from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, in Barcelona, in 2021, focusing on low and high-order hybridized methods for compressible flows. I received my Bachelor’s double degree in Mathematics and Aerospace Engineering, and a Master in Applied Mathematics from the same university in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Interests
  • Numerical Methods
  • Thermosphere-Ionosphere Modeling
  • Space Weather
  • Fluid Mechanics
Education
  • PhD in Applied Mathematics, 2021

    Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona

  • MSc in Applied Mathematics, 2017

    Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona

  • BSc in Aerospace Engineering, 2016

    Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona

  • BSc in Mathematics, 2016

    Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona

Experience

 
 
 
 
 
Project Scientist I
September 2024 – Present Boulder, CO

Research areas:

  • Ionosphere-thermosphere modeling
  • Numerical methods for upper atmospheric sciences
 
 
 
 
 
Researcher
June 2024 – August 2024

Research areas:

  • Thermospheric density forecasting
  • Development of machine learning strategies
 
 
 
 
 
Postdoctoral Associate
March 2021 – August 2024 Cambridge, MA

Research areas:

  • Space weather modeling
  • High-order discontinuous Galerkin
  • Scientific computing

Responsibilities:

  • Teaching assistant (16.920, Numerical methods for PDEs)
  • Mentorship of undergrad students (UROP)
 
 
 
 
 
Predoctoral Researcher (PhD)
September 2017 – February 2021 Barcelona

Research areas:

  • Compressible Aerodynamics
  • Hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin
  • Face-centered finite volume method
  • Riemann solvers

Merits:

  • Barcelona Graduate School of Mathematics (BGSMath) doctoral fellowship through María de Maeztu excellence program (2017-2020).
  • Research visit at the Zienkiewicz Centre for Computational Engineering (Swansea University, UK). Funded through UPC Doctoral Erasmus+ scholarship (2019).

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