Alan C. Calder

Alan C. Calder is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University and a core faculty member of The Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS). His research focuses on computational astrophysics, particularly simulating explosive phenomena such as supernovae, with an emphasis on high-performance computing and numerical modeling. Prior to Stony Brook, he held research positions at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) and the University of Chicago’s Center for Astrophysical Thermonuclear Flashes. He also taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Education includes a Ph.D. in Physics from Vanderbilt University (1997), with postdoctoral work at Argonne National Laboratory and NCSA. His research interests span theoretical astrophysics, radiation transport, and verification/validation of astrophysical codes. He has advised numerous graduate and undergraduate students on projects related to supernova modeling and computational methods.

Notable awards include the 2017 GPU Hackathon participation, Wendell G. Holladay Lecture (2015), and the NSF’s Gordon Bell Prize (2000). He leads projects like the deployment of the Fujitsu A64FX-based Ookami supercomputer. Calder has authored over 50 refereed papers, advancing understanding of supernova progenitors and explosion mechanisms.