Andrew Jones Ph.D.

Computational Scientist & Developer

Numerical Methods | High-Performance Computing

✉ amjones40022@gmail.com GitHub LinkedIn

About Me

I am a computational scientist with a Ph.D. in Computing from Boise State University and recent postdoctoral experience at Sandia National Laboratories. My research focuses on developing advanced numerical methods for solving partial differential equations, with particular expertise in meshfree methods, particle-in-cell plasma simulations, and high-performance computing.

My work combines rigorous mathematical foundations with practical implementation in modern programming languages and parallel computing frameworks. I am passionate about applying computational techniques to solve complex scientific and engineering problems, from atmospheric modeling and plasma physics simulations to computational fluid dynamics.

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Research Interests

Meshfree Methods

Developing radial basis function finite difference (RBF-FD) and generalized moving least squares (GMLS) methods for solving PDEs on complex geometries and surfaces.

High-Performance Computing

Implementing scalable numerical algorithms using parallel computing frameworks including OpenMP, Kokkos, and SLURM job orchestration.

Numerical Methods for PDEs

Research in computational methods for reaction-diffusion equations, atmospheric flow modeling, plasma physics, fluid dynamics, and, heat transfer

Professional Experience

Sandia National Laboratories

Postdoctoral Appointee
December 2022 - September 2025
  • Developed particle-in-cell plasma simulations for ion mobility spectrometry and SF6 leak detection applications
  • Created computational pipelines using SLURM job orchestration, Python analysis tools, and ParaView batch processing
  • Contributed to code refactoring efforts implementing Kokkos for improved performance
  • Performed benchmarking studies comparing OpenMP implementations
  • Developed 3D simulation visualization workflows using ParaView

Sandia National Laboratories

Graduate Research Intern
May 2020 - December 2022
  • Conducted research on computational methods for atmospheric, plasma physics applications
  • Implemented meshfree numerical methods with high performance computing tools
  • Collaborated with researchers on high-performance computing projects

Boise State University

Graduate Teaching Assistant
During Ph.D. program
  • Assisted students with introductory computer science coursework
  • Provided tutoring and support for programming fundamentals

Education

Boise State University

Ph.D. in Computing
Completed 2022

Dissertation: Meshfree methods for PDEs on surfaces
Advisors: Dr. Grady Wright and Dr. Peter Bosler
Research Focus: Advanced numerical techniques including RBF-FD and GMLS methods for atmospheric flow modeling, reaction-diffusion equations, and complex surface geometries

Kennesaw State University

B.S. in Physics
2018

Research: Computational fluid dynamics for pebble bed reactors using OpenFOAM, detector design with Raspberry Pi for alpha particle radiation detection, astrophysics research on quasars and active galactic nuclei
Coursework: Nuclear engineering fundamentals, advanced physics, astrophysics
Selected Publications: Co-authored papers on the sub-Eddington boundary for quasars and the redshift distribution of BL Lacs and FSRQs

Technical Skills

Programming Languages

  • Python
  • C++
  • C
  • FORTRAN
  • Bash

HPC & Parallel Computing

  • OpenMP
  • Cuda
  • MPI
  • Kokkos
  • SLURM
  • PBS

Development Tools

  • CMake
  • GNUMake
  • Spack
  • Ctest
  • Git

Computational Methods

  • Meshfree Methods (RBF-FD, GFD, GMLS)
  • Spectral/Finite Element Methods
  • Finite Volume Method
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Particle-in-Cell Methods
  • Interpolation and Approximation
  • Iterative Methods
  • KDTrees, knnsearch
  • kmeans
  • Computational Geometry (point cloud and mesh generation)

Additional Tools & Software

  • ParaView
  • CAD (Cubit, FreeCAD, Solidworks)
  • LaTeX
  • Office Suites (Microsoft,LibreOffice)

Selected Publications

Generalized moving least squares vs. radial basis function finite difference methods for approximating surface derivatives
A. Jones, P. Bosler, P. Kuberry, G.B. Wright
Computers & Mathematics with Applications, October 2023
Article link
MGM: A meshfree geometric multilevel method for systems arising from elliptic equations on point cloud surfaces
G.B. Wright, A.M. Jones, V. Shankar
Journal of Computational Physics, Volume 450, 2022
Article link
The sub-Eddington boundary for the quasar mass-luminosity plane: A theoretical perspective
D. Garofalo, D.J. Christian, A.M. Jones
Universe, 2019
Article link
The redshift distribution of BL Lacs and FSRQs
D. Garofalo, C.B. Singh, D.T. Walsh, D.J. Christian, A.M. Jones, A. Zack, B. Webster, M.I. Kim
Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2018
Article link

Get In Touch

I am currently seeking opportunities in academia, national laboratories, and industry. I am available for:

  • Software Developer/Engineer
  • Assistant Professor roles in Mathematics, Computer Science, or Physics
  • Computational Scientist or Mathematician
  • Scientific illustration and visualization work
Email Me

Location: Marietta, Georgia
Clearance: DOE-Q Security Clearance