Nathaniel Morgan

About Nathaniel Morgan

I am a mechanical engineer and computational scientist with 20+ years of work experience in developing advanced numerical methods and models, and writing parallel software to solve complex, real-world challenges.After earning my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona and my M.S. and Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Technology, I joined Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in February of 2005 as a staff scientist. Since then, my research has focused on simulating dynamic material behavior involving shock propagation, multi-materials, and multi-phase interactions across gasses, fluids, high-explosives, and solids.As a senior scientist, an adjunct professor at Mississippi State University and author of over 44 journal and 15 conference papers, I continue to contribute to the fields of applied mathematics, computer science, and computational mechanics. I have pioneered several innovative numerical methods, including the development of the first 3D level set methods for simulating evolving fronts like high-explosive burn fronts on unstructured meshes, as well as, high-order Lagrangian discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods. My work has led to the creation of cutting-edge Eulerian, Lagrangian, and Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) methods for simulating complex material dynamics in real-world engineering applications.I specialize in creating next-generation software that integrates modern numerical methods with advanced material models, such as crystal plasticity and reactive burn models, while ensuring performance portability across diverse parallel computing architectures (CPUs and GPUs). A proud accomplishment of mine is leading the creation of the Fierro computational mechanics code, which received the 2024 R & D100 Award, as well as the MATrix and ARray library for software performance portability.Key Areas of Expertise:* Multi-material, shock-driven material dynamics* Advanced numerical methods, high-order discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods, & finite element methods* Simulation of shock-driven flows, high-explosives, & solids* Performance portability for HPC & exascale computing* Open-source software development (Fierro, MATrix & ARray)* C++, parallel programming, & data oriented programming

Experience

1. Scientist 5

   Los Alamos National Laboratory

   Dec 2021 — Present · Los Alamos, NM, US

   Leadership: Lead cross-divisional efforts at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to develop cutting-edge computational mechanics software for emerging computing architectures like GPUs, and exascale HPC machines. Spearhead multi-million dollar projects, managing large teams and resources to deliver high-impact results that position the lab as a leader in computational mechanics and advanced manufacturing- Strategic Guidance: Provide expert technical input to senior program managers and laboratory leadership on the direction of computational mechanics and manufacturing- Innovating Numerical Algorithms: Drive the development of new computational algorithms, including scale-bridging methods and microstructure-aware hydrodynamic methods. These methods enhance the fidelity of engineering and manufacturing simulations- Developing Software: Produce world-leading software products across computer science and engineering disciplines- Publication & Scientific Dissemination: Regularly publish groundbreaking research in leading journals and present findings at international conferences, contributing to the advancement of science and engineering fields- Global Scientific Collaboration: Foster collaboration with top scientists, engineers, and mathematicians worldwide, building strong partnerships that support ongoing research initiatives at the laboratory and drive forward scientific discovery in computational modeling and simulation- Mentorship: Mentor research staff and students, providing guidance and support to develop the next generation of engineers and scientists in the fields of computational sciences, numerical simulation, and applied mathematics- Management: I serve as a team leader, carrying management responsibilities including ensuring a positive work environment and approving time cards- Reviewer for Leading Journals: Serve as a peer reviewer for top-tier scientific journals, ensuring the integrity and quality of research in the field.

Education

• Georgia Institute of Technology

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

  2003 — 2005

• Georgia Institute of Technology

  Master of Science

  2000 — 2003

• University of Arizona

  Bachelor's degree

  1997 — 2000

Skills

• Data Analysis
• C
• Programming
• Teaching
• Parallel Computing
• Explosives
• Mathematical Modeling
• Research
• Fortran
• Experimentation
• Algorithms
• Computational Mathematics
• Threads
• Simulations
• Fluid Dynamics
• Mpi
• Computational Physics
• Python
• Thermodynamics
• Compressible Flow
• Latex
• Numerical Analysis
• High Performance Computing (Hpc)
• Science
• Physics
• Computational Mechanics
• R&D
• Applied Mathematics
• Leadership
• C++
• Mechanical Engineering
• Research and Development (R&D)
• Hydrodynamics
• Scientific Computing
• High Performance Computing
• Fluid Simulation
• Numerical Simulation