Andrew Jones Ph.D.

Computational Scientist & Developer

Software Engineering | High Performance Scientific Computing

✉ amjones40022@gmail.com GitHub LinkedIn

About Me

I am a computational scientist with expertise in advanced approximation methods, multiphysics, meshfree methods, 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.

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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, CUDA, Kokkos, and PBS or SLURM job orchestration.

Numerical Methods for PDEs

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

Professional Experience

Independent Consultant

Computational & Technical Consultant
October 2025 - Present
  • Scientific illustrations for finance and risk estimation on manifolds using custom computational geometry workflows in Python
  • Facial hydration reconstruction from images using RBF interpolation

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 PIC code
  • 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

Boise State University

Graduate Research Assistant
May 2019-May 2022
  • RBF-FD implementation and development
  • Coupled bulk-surface modeling with RBF-FD and spectral element method (SEM)
  • Meshfree multilevel solver conceptualization, testing, and implementation

Boise State University

Graduate Teaching Assistant
August 2018 - May 2019
  • Assisted students with introductory computer science coursework
  • Provided tutoring and support for programming fundamentals

Kennesaw State University

Student Assistant
August 2017 - May 2018
  • Mathematical foundations and assessment of introductory physics students
  • Tutoring and assistance with physics coursework

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, industry, and research institutions. I am available for:

  • Software Engineering and Development (HPC, Scientific Computing, Simulation)
  • Research Scientist or Engineer (Applied Mathematics, Computational Physics)
  • Data Science, Machine Learning, and AI roles leveraging computational expertise
  • Faculty or Research positions in Mathematics, Computer Science, or Engineering
  • Modeling & Simulation Engineer (Energy, Defense, Weather, Materials)
  • Technical visualization, scientific communication, and R&D consulting
Email Me

Location: Marietta, Georgia
Security Clearance: DOE-Q