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 research 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
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)