Bryn Noel Ubald

Deliberations of a researcher turned RSE


I am a Research Software Engineer (RSE) at the British Antarctic Survey
Working on utilising AI for Sea Ice and wind forecasting.

Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey, UK

About me

I am an RSE within the Digital Innovation Team at the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK.


Before joining BAS, I was a Research Associate at The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK, working on Machine Learning and engineering cases, working as a research software on open-source software, 3D modelling/rendering with Blender and more.


Prior to this, I successfully attained a PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics at the University of Cambridge researching instrumented turbine blades with a combination of high-fidelity CFD methods and solvers, developing parallel codes for numerical analysis, mesh morphing and post-processing using Python, C++ and Fortran.

Latest blog posts

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Random thoughts and things I've been working on.

Work experience

Research Software Engineer
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
2023 - Present

• Software development lead on probabilistic deep learning sea-ice forecasting system, Icenet.
  • Development of IceNet Pipeline.
  • Integrate PyTorch Lightning and Jax/Flax based models.
  • Visualisation Dashboard development.
• Software development of ML based Climate forecasting pipeline development.
• Software carpentries training delivery.

Research Associate
The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
2020 - 2022

• Applying Machine Learning (Gaussian Processes) on physical fluid flows
• 3D modelling/rendering with Blender.
• Plotly Dash webapp applying object detection for borescope images from jet-engines for user-uploaded videos.
• Unity game engine prototype VR app development.

Mentor
Google Summer of Code
2021 - 2021

• Mentor Google Summer of Code project, development of web dashboard app for client usage on uncertainty quantification using equadratures as the backend.

Teaching Support
University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
2015 - 2015

• Introduce Aerodynamics and relevant research work to Year 10 and A-Level students from local schools over several weeks at the EnFlo department.
• Introducing presentations, conducting wind tunnel based aerofoil experiments and simulating pollutant dispersion in the EnFlo national wind tunnel for students.

Research Engineer
University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
2014 - 2014

• Summer research project analysing environmental flows and dispersion around London’s Marylebone Road in an atmospheric wind tunnel.

Programmes Intern
GE Aviation, Hamble, UK
2012 - 2013

• Creating Bill of Materials and listing their methods of manufacture using engineering drawings.
• Creating financial models for negotiation with customers.

Education

PhD Candidate in Computational Fluid Dynamics
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
2015 - 2019

• Researching instrumented turbine blades loss sources with a combination of high-fidelity CFD methods, including conjugate effects undertaken with the guidance and support of Professor Paul Tucker.
• Developed parallel codes for numerical analysis, mesh morphing and post-processing using Python, C++ and Fortran.

Master of Engineering in Aerospace Engineering
University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
2010 - 2015

• Graduated with First Class Honours as top of the class.
• Wind tunnel pollution modelling in environmental wind tunnel of Marylebone Road, London.

Skills

Some of the skills I have acquired over the years (Some maybe forgotten...)

Bootstrap

Experience in using Bootstrap for webdesign

Blender

2+ years of experience creating 3D models with Blender

C++

3+ years experience

Image saying CFD
CFD

4+ years of experience with Computational Fluid Dynamics

Fortran

3+ years experience

Linux

Experience with various distros, and running on HPC clusters, job submission systems, etc.

Image saying Meshing
Meshing

4+ years of experience with 3D complex meshing using ICEM, Pointwise, BoXer, GridPro

Plotly Dash

2+ years experience in building visualisation dashboards using Plotly Dash

Logo of PyMC
PyMC

Experience in Bayesian inference using PyMC

Python

9+ years experience

PyTorch Lightning

1+ years experience

Awards & Honours

UK Fluids Network Photo & Video Competition
University of Cambridge
May 2021

• 1st prize awarded for Q-criterion render of LES of instrumented cascade turbine blade.
• Runner-up prize awarded for video of Q-criterion of LES of instrumented cascade turbine blade.

ZEISS Engineering Department Photography Competition
University of Cambridge
Sept 2017

• 1st prize awarded for photo of LES of turbine blade with leading edge instrumentation.

The Hector Wainwright Aerospace MEng Prize
University of Surrey
2015

• Prize awarded for graduating with the highest grade in Aerospace Engineering (MEng).

The Royal Aeronautical Society Templar Prize
University of Surrey
2015

• Prize awarded by the Royal Aeronautical Society Farnborough Branch for distinguished performance on the MEng Aerospace programme.

Surrey Performance Scholarship
University of Surrey
2015

• Awarded for first class marks.

EPSRC Summer Research Bursary
University of Surrey
2014

• Awarded for research into wind tunnel modelling of flow dispersion behaviour.

Surrey Performance Scholarship
University of Surrey
2012

• Awarded for first class marks.

Surrey Performance Scholarship
University of Surrey
2011

• Awarded for first class marks.