Verification & Validation of Models and Simulations Combo Course (Virtual Classroom)

William Oberkampf, Ph.D. is an engineering consultant with 43 years of experience in research and development in fluid dynamics, heat transfer, flight dynamics, and solid mechanics.  He spent his entire career in both computational and experimental areas.  During the last 20 years, Dr. Oberkampf emphasized research and development in methodologies and procedures for verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification in computational simulations.  He has written over 177 journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, and technical reports. He has taught 44 short courses in the field of verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification.
 
Dr. Oberkampf received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering in 1966 from the University of Notre Dame, his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1968, and his Ph.D. in 1970 in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.  Dr. Oberkampf served on the faculty of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin for nine years.  After 29 years of service in both staff member and management positions at Sandia National Laboratories, he retired as a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff.  Since this time, he has been a consultant to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Air Force, various Department of Energy laboratories, and corporations in the U.S. and Europe. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 
David Riha, is a Principal Engineer in the Mechanical Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute.  His technical expertise and interests are concentrated in the area of predicting the probabilistic response and reliability of engineered systems using advanced probabilistic and uncertainty methodologies.  Since 1991, he has developed probabilistic methods and software tools including the NESSUS® probabilistic analysis software. 
 
Mr. Riha provides consulting for applied reliability problems, model verification and validation, and uncertainty quantification to various industry and government agencies in areas such as aerospace, automotive, biomechanics, geomechanics, and weapon systems.  He also develops and presents training in the area of probabilistic analysis and design methods, uncertainty quantification, and approaches for model verification and validation. He has taught over 60 courses since 1991.  He has a B.S in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Erin C. DeCarlo, Ph.D. is a Research Engineer in the Mechanical Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of uncertainty on design performance and making uncertainty-informed decisions using advanced probabilistic methods. Her work in response surface modeling and Bayesian statistics addresses the fundamental challenges of the computational expense of complex, multidisciplinary simulations, and uncertainty due to limited data in order to guide activities to target and reduce uncertainties.

At Southwest Research Institute, Dr. DeCarlo leads and provides her expertise on projects that involve probabilistic analysis, uncertainty quantification and reduction, and validation of both statistical and physics-based models. She received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2017 and recently co-led SwRI’s webinar series on “Probabilistic Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification”.
 
Professor Christopher Roy, Virginia Tech, holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University, an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University.  From 1998 to 2003, he worked as a senior member of the technical staff in the Engineering Sciences Center at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  From 2003 to 2007, he was an Assistant Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Auburn University.
 
In 2007, Dr. Roy joined the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department at Virginia Tech and currently holds the rank of full professor.  He has written over 120 journal articles, books, book chapters, conference papers, and technical reports in the areas of verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification.  He has taught 30 short courses in the field of verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification.
 
Ben H. Thacker, Ph.D., P.E., Director, Materials Engineering Department, Southwest Research Institute, brings over 25 years of expertise in computational mechanics, structural reliability, and computer methods development.  He has been heavily involved in the development and application of probabilistic methods and has applied probabilistic methods to geo-mechanics, biomechanics, and other transient non-linear problems.