The Peter O’Donnell Jr. Postdoctoral Research Fellows 2023-2024

The Peter O’Donnell Jr. Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin provides funding for recent Ph.D graduates to perform high-level, computational research with exceptional faculty in an interdisciplinary environment.

This semester, four remarkable new postdoctoral researchers have joined the Oden Institute community for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Joar Bagge

Joar Bagge joins us here at the Oden Institute after completing his PhD in applied and computational mathematics at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. His thesis focused on the development and implementation of numerical methods for boundary integral equations, which has applications to Stokes flow simulations. 

Bagge also held a summer internship position at Ericsson, a multinational telecommunications company based in Stockholm. His work simulated how the geometry of the ear affects incoming audio signals, using the Helmholtz equation and a boundary element method. 

As an O’Donnell fellow, he will study boundary integral equations, high-performance computing, and fast numerical methods with Dr. George Biros and Dr. Per-Gunnar Martinsson. His work falls under the Parallel Algorithms for Data Analysis and Simulation Group and the Center for Numerical Analysis.

Andrés Felipe Galindo-Olarte

Andrés Felipe Galiondo-Olarte completed his PhD in applied mathematics at Michigan State University, where he studied methods to “numerically approximate solutions for equations that appear in mathematical physics,” including theory and computational algorithms. 

Beyond his work in research, Andrés is passionate about outreach and building community. He led the Comunidad Latinoamericana during his time at MSU, where he played a key role in supporting Latin American students holistically through their educational journeys. His advocacy and outreach efforts led to a CNN interview where he defended the migration status of international students across the United States in July of 2020. 

Here at the Oden Institute, Galindo-Olarte will be working with Dr. Irene Gamba at the Applied Mathematics Group and the Center for Numerical Analysis. His research is aimed at developing and analyzing numerical methods for solving kinetic equations from plasma physics.

Donghwan Kim

Donghwan Kim comes to the Oden Institute from Harvard University, where he earned his PhD in Chemical Physics. During his time as a graduate student, Donghwan worked in the Heller Group on several research projects in the field of theoretical and computational condensed matter physics. 

His research involved electron-phonon interaction in terms of the coherent state description of lattice vibrations, electron scattering by random potentials, and the breakdown of adiabatic Born-Oppenheimer approximation (BOA) in solids.

At the Oden Institute, he collaborates with Dr. Feliciano Giustino at the Center for Quantum Materials Engineering, focusing on understanding electron-phonon interaction from first principles, particularly studying polarons in ionic crystals.

Keon Kim

Keon Kim recently completed his PhD in mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, specializing in computational mathematics and mathematical modeling, particularly in cardiovascular mechanics. 

He brings his expertise in numerical methods and multiscale physiological modeling to the Oden Institute, where he collaborates with Dr. Michael Sacks at the Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation. 

His research centers on developing a fluid-structure interaction model for patient-specific mitral valves to investigate hemodynamic aspects of valvular heart disease, aiming to aid clinicians in the management and treatment of conditions like mitral valve regurgitation.

The Peter O’Donnell, Jr., Postdoctoral Fellowship accepts applications each year for outstanding researchers trained at the interfaces of computer science, mathematics, statistics, high performance computing, and applications across science, engineering, and medicine. O'Donnell Fellows perform interdisciplinary research with exceptional faculty and have opportunities to participate in external collaborations and access world-class computational tools at the Texas Advanced Computing Center.