Dr. Jack S. Hale

Chensong Zhang, Associate Professor

OLFINx: A new finite element solver for the FEniCS Project

15:00-16:00 October 26 (Wednesday), ZOOM ID: 993 6709 9390

In this talk I will discuss the design principles behind DOLFINx (https://github.com/FEniCS/dolfinx) the new finite element solver of the FEniCS Project (https://fenicsproject.org). The design of DOLFINx differs fundamentally from DOLFIN and many other modern finite element solvers with an emphasis on a functional and data-oriented approach over a heavily object-oriented approach that prioritises data encapsulation.  The overall design has a number of advantages, including easy interplay with other languages (e.g. Numba), simple interoperability with different linear algebra backends and easier reasoning about parallel performance. While DOLFINx still relies strongly on high-level description of finite element problems and automatic code generation tools, it also allows users to easily step outside of their inherent limitations. For example, users can now straightforwardly code low-level finite element cell kernels in Numba or C++ and pass them to DOLFINx for assembly. I will finish with some examples of use from my own recent research in thin structures and fractional operators. 

Dr. Jack S. Hale graduated with a PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from Imperial College London in 2013. His current research interests lie in finite element methods with a particular focus on solving challenging problems arising in thin structures, non-local operators and poroelasticity.