David Calvert

David Calvert

Ph.D. in computational astrophysics. Skilled in MHD simulations, plasma dynamics, and software development.

David Calvert

I am a computational astrophysicist who recently completed my Ph.D. from North Carolina State University and am currently a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley. I specialize in multiphysics modeling, high-performance computing, software development, and large data analysis, with experience in software engineering, systems administration, and machine learning.

Research Focus

My dissertation (download PDF) investigates the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) of 3D core-collapse supernovae. Through 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
  • Quantum neutrino flavor oscillations

Technical Skills

Programming: Python, FORTRAN, C++, MATLAB, CUDA, Bash HPC & Parallel Computing: MPI, OpenMP, OpenACC, SLURM, distributed computing, GPU computing
Scientific Computing: NumPy, SciPy, mpi4py, numerical methods, PDEs/ODEs, large-scale data analysis, statistical analysis
Performance & Debugging: profiling/optimization, vectorization, memory/performance tuning, reproducibility
Software Engineering: Git, CI/CD, unit testing, documentation, code review
Tools: Docker, Linux, VS Code, LabView, Autodesk Fusion

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 a full LabView application for chemical analysis and hardware control
  • Business Systems Analyst at Insightsoftware, building and administrating business software instances (Salesforce, Netsuite, Dell Boomi)
  • IT Systems Administrator at NC State Physics Department

Education

Ph.D., Computational Astrophysics (Dec 2025) - North Carolina State University/UC Berkeley - thesis, download PDF
B.S., Physics (May 2018) - North Carolina State University
B.S., Applied Mathematics (May 2018) - North Carolina State University

Recent Publication

Turbulence in Core-collapse Supernovae

Authors: David Calvert, Michael Redle, Bibek Gautam, Charles J. Stapleford, Carla Fröhlich, James P. Kneller, and Matthias Liebendorfer The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 995, Number 1 (2025)