Micah Schuster, PhD
I am a Ph.D. computational scientist with a wealth of experience spanning academia and national laboratories. With seven years as a tenured associate professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology and five years contributing to groundbreaking research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, I bring a unique blend of academic rigor and real-world application to my work.
As a computational scientist, my expertise spans a diverse array of computational techniques and computer science paradigms. My proficiency in multiple programming languages and problem-solving approaches positions me as a versatile and adaptable software engineer capable of thriving in any domain. With a relentless drive for innovation and a proven track record of success, I’m poised to tackle the most complex challenges and drive transformative change wherever I go.
Certifications
Socialization
Skills
- Fortran
- C
- C++
- C#
- Unity
- Java
- Python
- CUDA
- MATLAB
- GNU Make
- LaTeX
- Windows
- Linux
- macOS
- Implicit and Explicit ODE and PDE Solvers
- Optimization
- Linear Algebra
- Curve Fitting
- Root Finding
- Image Processing
- MPI
- OpenMP
- OpenACC
- GNU Compilers
- Intel Compilers
- Intel MKL
- LAPACK
- BLAS
- cuBLAS
- HDF5
- Portable Batch System
- Torque
- Moab Workload Manager
- Tuning and Analysis Utilities (TAU)
- Paraprof
- TotalView
- gprof
- pgprof
- nvprof
- Allinea DDT
- Allinea MAP
- valgrind
- MATLAB
- Blender
- Lightwave3D
- ParaView
Selected Publications
Here is a selection of my recent publications.
Paper - Discrete Wildfire Simulation Case Study
Paper - Lattice Gas Cellular Automata Fluid Dynamics: The Model of Frisch, Hasslacher, and Pomeau
Paper - Numerical Modeling of Neutron Stars
Paper - Probabilistic Cellular Automata for Sand Piles in Video Games
Paper - Infection Modeling Case Study: Discrete Spatial SIR Model
Fluid Simulation
I have created a variety of numerical models to simulate various physical phenomona. Ranging from fluid dynamics to wildfire simulations, I use C++, raylib, and python to create and visualize these models.
Wildfire Spread Simulation
This is a robust, high-resolution fire simulation that can be used to examine wildfire spread in real locations based on GIS data for elevation, road and waterways, vegetation, and weather conditions.
Neutron Star Modeling
Neutron stars are compact stellar objects formed in the catastrophic astrophysical explosions of massive stars. Studying neutron stars allows us to examine and understand how matter behaves in the most extreme conditions in the universe.
Other Simulation and Modeling
I have created a variety of other numerical models to simulate various physical phenomona. Ranging from infection modeling to ferromagnetism, I use C++ and raylib to create and visualize these models.
Wentworth Supercomputer
As part of my duties at Wentworth Institute of Technology, I designed, built, and manage Wentworth's first supercomputer. It is a heterogenious system that is used by faculty and students.
Custom 2D Game Engine
I designed and created a custom Entity-Component-System (ECS) game engine for 2D game development. Built in modern C++, the engine uses raylib for graphics and ImGUI for UI.
Game Jams
Over the past few years, I have been involved in numerous game jam events. In each event, I create a game entirely from scratch using the Unity game engine. Listed here are all the games that I have created.
Experience
Associate Professor
- Taught every computer science course available at Wentworth. Designed, built, and currently manage Wentworth’s Linux HPC cluster.
- Created all curriculum for parallel and distributed computing and a game development minor from scratch.
- Wrote large scale multithreaded scientific software in C++, Python, and MATLAB to simulate physical phenomena.
- Created a custom 2D game engine in C++ for students to work on in a game engine course.
- Supervised multiple successful graduate students on projects involving AI/ML and parallel computing.
Software Engineer
- Programmed gameplay mechanics in Unity for the game Eternal O.D.E. that was released for Android and iOS.
- Optimized a custom physics engine designed for swinging objects that increased performance by 2x.
- Created editor tools in Unity for technical artists and designers to quickly create dynamic levels.
- Implemented leaderboards using Google Play and iOS Game Center.
Distinguished Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Performed research in low energy nuclear structure using the largest supercomputers in the world. -Prepared large nuclear physics codebases for next generation supercomputers and new architectures.
- Added GPU compute capabilities, using CUDA, to parts of the codebase that increased performance by 4x.
- Incorporated new simulation capabilities to legacy nuclear physics codes to support the mission of ORNL.
Institute for Scientific Computing Research Scholar
- Performed research into light nuclei, relevant for nuclear fusion and the LLNL mission of stockpile stewardship.
- Added new parallel and distributed computing capabilities, specifically MPI and OpenMP, to legacy Fortran code.
- Developed new methods for computation of nuclear properties that increased performance.
Education
Claremont Graduate Univeristy
Dissertation: Systematic Investigation of Operators in Nuclear Systems
San Diego State University
Thesis: Benchmarking Approximations for the Electronic Structure of Atoms