Sourav Saha "Mechanistic Computational Intelligence for Future Data-enabled Scientific Research and Engineering"

4:00 pm
Monday, February 26, 2024
190 Goodwin Hall
Faculty Host: Dr. Rakesh Kapania

Abstract:  The field of scientific computing is on the cusp of a major evolution. The fundamental research is moving from traditional software development, characterized by explicit, task-specific programming, to a new paradigm of methods, distinguished by its reliance on data and optimization techniques. This transition, however, presents unique challenges, particularly in engineering science. These include the scarcity of data for many engineering systems, the need for extensive calibration in modeling complex multiscale and multiphysics problems, and the time-consuming solution of computational engineering models. In this talk, a new synergistic computational and theoretical framework called Mechanistic Computational Intelligence (MCI) will be presented to address these challenges. The speaker will summarize the mathematical underpinning of the MCI and demonstrate applications from his past research on how the MCI can merge computational mechanics and data science in extraordinary ways. Examples will be presented in the context of three prevalent types of problems encountered in science and engineering: scenarios lacking comprehensive mathematical equations, where reliance on data is paramount (type 1), problems where partial knowledge of governing laws is supplemented by data-driven methods (type 2), and high-dimensional problems that pose computational challenges (type 3). The talk will shed light on his vision on how MCI methods create engineering software 2.0 for future multidisciplinary research in computational and data-enabled science and engineering. The speaker will present his teaching philosophy on mentoring and curriculum development and how it connects to his research.    

Bio:   Sourav Saha is a PhD candidate in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois working with Professor Wing Kam Liu. Mr. Saha completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2015 and 2017, respectively, and joined Northwestern in 2018. Before joining Northwestern, he served as a faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at BUET. Mr. Saha works in the general field of multiscale modeling of hierarchical materials, computational modeling of advanced manufacturing processes, scientific and interpretable machine learning, and modeling of nanoscale transport phenomena and mechanics. He worked as a visiting researcher at Sandia National Laboratory from October 2022 to March 2023 on physics-informed generative artificial intelligence. Mr. Saha’s scientific contributions include several articles in reputed journals in computational science, 4 patents, an ongoing book on Mechanistic Computational Intelligence, serving as referee for reputed peer reviewed journals, and organizing international academic conferences. Mr. Saha has won several awards and fellowships including Richter Fellowship and Cabell Fellowship from Northwestern University, NSF INTERN award, NIST AM Bench 2022 Competition, and travel awards to present his works.