Per-Olof Persson Appointed as Argyris Visiting Professor 2024

We are delighted to announce that Per-Olof Persson from the University of California, Berkeley, has been awarded the prestigious Argyris Visiting Professorship for 2024 by the Stuttgart Center for Simulation Science (SC SimTech). Professor Persson is renowned for his expertise in computational fluid dynamics and numerical methods, making him an ideal recipient of this honor, which commemorates the pioneering work of John Argyris, a visionary in the field of simulation science.

Professor Persson is a full professor of Mathematics at UC Berkeley and also serves as a faculty scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research spans a wide array of topics, including high-order numerical methods for partial differential equations (PDEs), computational fluid and solid mechanics, and unstructured mesh generation. His work has been widely recognized in both academic and industrial circles, having made significant contributions to the field of high-performance computing.

Over the years, Professor Persson has garnered numerous awards, including the Sloan Research Fellowship and the Young Investigator Award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. In addition, he is a prolific developer, contributing to the creation of various software systems such as the widely used DistMesh meshing software and the 3DG multiphysics simulation framework​.

The Argyris Visiting Professorship was established by the SC SimTech at the University of Stuttgart in 2014, to honor outstanding researchers in the field of simulation science. This award celebrates the legacy of Professor John Argyris, who was instrumental in advancing the field through his work on the finite element method and computational mechanics​ Previous recipients have included leading scholars from around the world, underscoring the global recognition of this professorship.

Professor Persson’s nomination for this prestigious role came from Benjamin Stamm. In his nomination letter, Stamm emphasized that Persson is "an expert in numerical methods in computational fluid dynamics with particular emphasis on high-order methods and deforming domains." Stamm also highlighted Persson’s numerous collaborative touchpoints with researchers across the SimTech Cluster, such as Andrea Beck (CFD), Dirk Pflüger (parallel computing), and Heng Xiao (scientific machine learning).

One of the core missions of the Argyris Visiting Professorship is to foster international collaboration in simulation science, a field that thrives on interdisciplinary and cross-border cooperation. Since its inception, the professorship has played a vital role in connecting leading researchers from around the world with the SimTech Cluster in Stuttgart, promoting the exchange of ideas and methodologies on a global scale.

Professor Persson's appointment further strengthens this tradition of international partnership. As a U.S.-based researcher, his involvement will build a stronger bridge between leading institutions in Europe and the United States, enhancing collaboration not only within the SimTech Cluster but also across the Atlantic. The growing importance of high-performance computing and scientific machine learning in both continents offers a unique opportunity to align research efforts and address shared challenges in computational science. This international cooperation is essential for solving the complex problems faced in fields such as fluid dynamics and structural mechanics, where global perspectives and collaborative approaches are key to advancing the state of the art​.

As part of the Argyris Professorship, Professor Persson visits the University of Stuttgart from September to December. During his stay, he will engage in collaborative research with the SimTech team and present his cutting-edge work in a public Argyris Honorary Lecture on 27 November. Additionally, he will participate in events with SimTech's doctoral researchers during the yearly Status Seminar, the SimTech Society e. V. in mid-December and the Industrial Consortium e.V. at the beginning of December, fostering valuable exchanges between academia and industry​.