New Organization in January 2010
In January 2010, the Basic Research Unit at Simula was reorganized in ten new research groups instead of the old department structure. Please visit Basic Research to see the new structure. This page will not be updated anymore.
Motivation
Mathematical models and computer simulations are crucial parts of science and industry. Dramatic performance improvements in computer hardware and numerical algorithms combine with increasingly detailed models for physical phenomena, to form the basis for accurate and predictive simulations. The importance of computer simulations will continue to grow, but realizing the full potential of this development requires dedicated research in a number of areas. There will always be a gap between the problems that can be solved on available computers and the problems that scientists want to address. This can only be narrowed by continuous focus on developing and improving numerical algorithms. Combining advanced numerical techniques with increasingly realistic models also introduce additional challenges, since the increased complexity makes it difficult to develop reliable software. The research focus of the SC department is in the interface between advanced numerical analysis and modern techniques for software development.
Research Activities
The research in the SC department can be grouped into three main categories: generic software tools, numerical methods and applications to problems in science and technology. A key feature of scientific computing is that it is interdisciplinary, it involves mathematics, computer science, and the relevant application field, which for us is physics, geoscience, biology and medicine. In 2007, the Department was awarded a Norwegian Center of Excellence, "Center for Biomedical Computing". For more detailed information on research topics, see the center's web pages.
