Background
My academic journey began with a deep fascination for the complex dynamics of natural systems. I completed my Master of Physics (MPhys) in Astrophysics at the University of Southampton, spending a transformative year as a Visiting Student Researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Boston, USA. There, I used 3D Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to investigate how stellar winds from active M-dwarf stars impact close-in exoplanet atmospheres.
From there I went on to pursue a PhD in Physics at Imperial College London, funded by the STFC. Shifting to hydrodynamics, my doctoral research in the domain of computational astrophysics focused on 1D atmospheric modeling, developing multifluid hydrodynamics models that moved beyond simple hydrogen/helium compositions to investigate the atmospheric evolution and escape mechanisms of water-rich exoplanets.
During my PhD, I became increasingly drawn to applying computational methodologies to pressing real-world challenges. A DiRAC Innovation Placement collaborating with Save the Children International and computer scientists at Brunel University of London ignited my transition into humanitarian computing, using agent-based models (ABMs) to simulate human migration in response to flooding.
Current Research Interests
I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Modelling and Simulation Group in the Department of Computer Science at Brunel University London. Broadly speaking, my work involves applying computational skills and techniques to translate complex real-world problems into computational models for simulation and analysis, with an emphasis on understanding how trustworthy the models and their results are.
- Migration & Return Modelling (Ukraine): Conducting scenario analysis and simulation of Ukrainian returnees from Europe across various war progression trajectories, in collaboration with UNHCR.
- Climate & Disaster-Driven Displacement: Modelling refugee flows, human migration, and population movement triggered by natural disasters, severe flooding, and climate events to support decision-making in humanitarian response.
- Sensitivity Analysis in Migration Modelling: Applying global sensitivity analysis to agent-based forced migration frameworks to evaluate parameter importance, structural assumptions, and prediction uncertainty in scenario forecasting.
- Uncertainty Quantification & Exascale HPC Tools: Engaging with national exascale computing initiatives through the SEAVEA (Software Environment for Actionable & VVUQ-evaluated Exascale Applications) project under the UK's ExCALIBUR (Exascale Computing Algorithms & Infrastructures Benefiting UK Research) programme. Focusing on applying Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) methodologies across computational models while supporting the open-source SEAVEA toolkit. For example, applying UQ techniques to AI generative models like REINVENT4 for de novo drug discovery.
- Uncertainty Qualification: Developing, benchmarking, and applying qualitative Uncertainty Qualification frameworks (evaluating non-numerical modelling assumptions, qualitative structural choices, and parameter calibration) across high-performance computing simulations and computational models.
- Agent-Based Modelling & Complex Systems: Designing rule-based computational simulations for social dynamics, forced displacement, and multi-agent interaction.
- IoT Systems & Uncertainty Quantification: Contributing to the HOMEPOT project (ITEA4), focused on applying UQ methodologies to Internet of Things (IoT) architectures and developing computational solutions for the homogeneous management and orchestration of diverse devices.
Technical Skills
- Simulation & Modeling: Agent-Based Modeling, 3D MHD (BATS-R-US), 1D Multifluid Hydrodynamics
- Uncertainty Quantification: Verification, Validation & Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) Frameworks, Qualitative Uncertainty Qualification, Sensitivity Analysis (applied to migration & AI models), EasyVVUQ / SEAVEA Toolkit
- Computing: High-Performance Computing (HPC), Python, C, Verification, Validation & Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ), Uncertainty Qualification, Version Control, Bash
- Data & Analytics: Demographic data, geospatial datasets, refugee/migration flow modeling, scenario forecasting