How AI could change the approach to computer simulations, according to Dr. Hugh Goyder
Dr. Hugh Goyder, one of our William Penney Fellows, from Cranfield University, takes a moment to reflect on the development of computer simulation as a vital tool for research at AWE.
When Dr. Goyder began his career researching civil nuclear power at Harwell the approach to problem-solving in nuclear engineering was remarkably different from what we do today.
Computer simulations were not yet common, and the research approach and output generated were very different. “When there was a research problem, a team would discuss how an experiment could be conducted to help untangle the problem”, he recalls. Often, the very act of this collective thinking was enough to resolve the problem; no experiment was required. If testing was required, then a broad mix of physicists, engineers, and technicians would conduct and solve the problem. As he puts it, “teamwork was everything”.
Today, computer simulations have become the standard starting point. “The modern standard approach is for the team with a problem to consider a simulation”, explains Goyder. Thinking through how the simulation might be conducted, and its likely challenges, can still solve the problem before any model is run. But if the simulation is carried out, it will be largely a solo task. “Computer simulations have changed the way people think,” he observes.
Looking to the future, he sees artificial intelligence (AI) becoming the first port of call. “If the AI seems reasonable, then it will be important to do the experiment so that it can be checked for veracity”, he predicts. That, he suggests, might bring scientists full circle: “we may be back to where I started – with experiments being the central activity of engineers and scientists.”
About Dr. Hugh Goyder
He is a reader in military dynamics and works for Cranfield University at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. He started his career studying mechanical engineering at the University of Southampton and earned a degree in mathematics and physics from the Open University. He completed a PhD in structure-borne sound at the University of Southampton’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research. Following his studies, Dr. Goyder spent nearly 20 years at Harwell conducting research into nuclear power, specifically focusing on fluid-structure interactions in heat exchangers, pipework, and process plants. This research enabled him to expand his previous experience in vibration to fluid mechanics and acoustics.
