David Calvert

I am a computational astrophysicist completing my Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and North Carolina State University, specializing in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of core-collapse supernovae. My research explores the role of turbulent plasma flow in supernova evolution using high-fidelity 3D simulations on distributed HPC systems.

Research Focus

My dissertation research investigates the magnetohydrodynamics of 3D core-collapse supernovae. Through advanced numerical simulations, I study how magnetic fields and turbulent plasma dynamics influence the explosion mechanism and evolution of massive stars at the end of their lives.

Key Research Areas:

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and plasma dynamics
Core-collapse supernova simulations
Turbulence in astrophysical flows
High-performance computing and numerical methods

Technical Skills

Programming Languages: Python, FORTRAN, C++, MATLAB, CUDA, Bash
HPC & Parallel Computing: MPI, OpenMP, OpenACC, distributed computing
Tools: Docker, Git, VS Code, LabView, Autodesk Fusion
Scientific Computing: NumPy, SciPy, mpi4py, large data analytics, statistical analysis

Professional Experience

Beyond academia, I have experience in software engineering and systems administration:

Software Engineer at KOINSLOT Inc., developing educational coding hardware
App Developer at Kondra Chemical, building LabView applications for chemical analysis
Business Systems Analyst at Insightsoftware, executing data migrations
IT Systems Administrator at NC State Physics Department

Education

Ph.D. in Astrophysics (December 2025) - UC Berkeley & North Carolina State University
Dissertation: Magnetohydrodynamics of 3D Core-Collapse Supernovae

B.S. in Physics with Honors & Applied Mathematics (May 2018) - North Carolina State University

Recent Publications

Calvert, D., et al. (2025). “Turbulence in Core-Collapse Supernovae”, Astrophysical Journal
Calvert, D., et al. (2025). “The Interplay of Magnetic Fields and Vorticity in Core-Collapse Supernovae”, Astrophysical Journal (In prep)