Research Priorities

The field of computational science is interdisciplinary by nature, using algorithms, mathematics, and computers to analyze and solve scientific and engineering problems. The Computational Sciences Hub will emphasize leveraging computational approaches to drive scientific discovery, with a particular focus on the synergistic relationship between computational sciences and other priority research areas, both within ICDS — artificial intelligence (AI), data sciences, quantum sciences, and digital twins — and in application domains housed by Penn State’s other institutes, hubs/centers, colleges, and departments.

The Computational Sciences Hub will focus on these two short-term research priorities:

Data-driven, AI, and computational strategies for processing synergistically big remote sensing datasets to improve forecasting of natural hazards to avoid costly disasters, promote resilience, and address national security.

Computational software and simulations efficiency, AI, and data assimilation developments. In particular, promote the advancement of numerical simulations using the Finite Element Method (e.g., FEM, surrogates, data inversions, and optimization) to simulate engineering problems, materials behavior, as well as Earth, ocean, space, and atmospheric processes.