Armando COCO

Associate Professor of Numerical analysis [MAT/08]

Armando Coco graduated in 2008 with 110/110 cum laude from the University of Catania, where he also obtained his PhD in 2012 in Mathematics for Technology, supervised by prof. Giovanni Russo.
Between 2012 and 2015 he covered various postdoctoral research assistant positions both in Italy and abroad, in particular at the Université Bordeaux I - INRIA, University of Bari Aldo Moro, University of Bristol.
In 2015 he obtained the permanent position of Lecturer in Mathematical Modeling at Oxford Brookes University, where he was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2017.
Since 2021 he has held the position of Associate Professor in Numerical Analysis SSD MAT/08 at the University of Catania.

Current position
1 November 2021 - present: Associate Professor in Numerical Analysis (MAT/08) University of Catania, Italy

Work experience
​​1 September 2017 – 31 October 2021: Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Modelling, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
​​1 September 2015 – 31 October 2017: Lecturer in Mathematical Modelling, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
10 March 2014 – 31 August 2015: Post-Doctoral Research Assistant in Computational Volcanology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
16 October 2012 – 15 October 2013: Post-doc student, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
1 April 2012 – 30 September 2012 Post-doc student, University of Bordeaux I, Bordeaux, France

Education
09/2015 - 06/2016: Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (PCTHE), Oxford Brookes University.
11/2008 - 03/2012: Ph.D. in Mathematics for Technology, advisor Prof. Giovanni Russo, University of Catania, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.  Title of the thesis: Finite-Difference Ghost Cell Multigrid Methods for Elliptic Problems with Mixed Boundary Conditions and Discontinuous Coefficients.
10/2006 - 07/2008: Master in Mathematics, Final grade 110/110 summa cum laude
10/2003 - 10/2006: Degree in Applied Mathematics, University of Catania, Final grade 110/110 summa cum laude.

Research interests
High order numerical methods for computational fluid dynamics.
Multigrid methods for complex-shaped domains.
Numerical simulation of subsurface reservoirs.
Mathematical modelling of monument conservation.
Numerical methods for plasma simulations

Conference Presentations
Speaker in 35 conferences, 6 invited talks.

Fellowships and acknowledgments
06/2018: Grant from the London Mathematical Society (Research in Pairs)
11/2017: Grant for the Santander Research Scholarship Scheme
02/2017-07/2017: Computer Science Small Grant from the London Mathematical Society (Scheme 7)
11/2016: Santander Award Scheme, an award for research collaboration with countries in the Santander network
2012: Fellowship by the GNCS (Gruppo Nazionale di Calcolo Scientifico -INDAM) under the program Young Researcher, a funding to participate at Congresses and Schools.
11/2011-02/2012: HPC-Europe2 fellowship, Université Bordeaux 1, France

Membership of scientific societies
GNCS (Gruppo Nazionale di Calcolo Scientifico)
SIMAI (Società Italiana di Matematica Applicata e Industriale)
UMI (Unione Matematica Italiana)

Participation to research projects:
2022-2024: HSMDIS (High Stability Microwave Discharge Ion Sources), funded by INFN-LNS: Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, PI: Lorenzo Neri
2022-2024: PNRR HPC, Big Data e Quantum Computing, Centro Nazionale Spoke 1: Future HPC, funded by MUR-PNRR, PI: Alessia Tricomi
2016-2019 APC8 - Diesel Engine Dynamic Optimisation, Co-Investigator. PI: Fabrizio Bonatesta
2013 GNCS: Hyperbolic dominant multiscale problems: numerical methods and applications, PI: Matteo Semplice
2009 PRIN 09: Innovative numerical methods for hyperbolic problems with applications to fluid dynamics, kinetic theory and computational biology, PI: Giovanni Russo           
2009 Integrated actions Italy-Spain: Numerical methods for Hyperbolic Systems in non- conservative form with environmental applications
2008 Research project of University (PRA), Advanced Numerical Methods for Evolutive Problems, PI: Giovanni Russo                   

Co-supervision of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows
2 Ph.D. students and 4 Master students.

Organization of Scientific meetings               
16 June 2016: Organization of the mini-syimposium “Mathematics behind volcanic processes” (5 speakers) with G. Currenti for the ECMI2016 conference, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.                 

Member of examination panels           
22 November 2016: Member of the examination panel for the PhD defense of David Zorio, University of Valencia, Spain.          

Referee activities
SISC Journal of Scientific Computing
JCOMP Journal of Computational Physics
AMC Applied Mathematics and Computation
CMS Communications in Mathematical Sciences Journal of Applied Mathematics
Applied Mathematics and Computation ECMI2014 proceedings
The Open Fuels and Energy Science Journal Advances in Geosciences

           

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VIEW THE COURSES FROM THE A.Y. 2022/2023 TO THE PRESENT

Academic Year 2021/2022

Prof. Armando Coco has developed expertise in designing highly efficient and accurate numerical methods for partial differential equations (PDEs) in geophysics and engineering. Some examples of PDEs investigated in his research are:

  • Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible fluid dynamics
  • Thermo-poroelastic Cauchy-Navier equations for elastic deformation
  • Elliptic equations for electron transport in semiconductors
  • Fluid flow in porous media for water-rock interaction

Specific expertise has been developed in the following numerical methods:

- Multigrid for unfitted boundary methods and complex-shaped geometries
- Ghost-point methods for the elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic systems of PDEs
- Level set methods for evolution of interfaces

Some related real-world applications are:

  • elastic deformation to simulate and predict geophysical responses (ground deformation, gravity changes) caused by pressurization of magmatic sources and/or the thermo-poroelastic behavior of hydrothermal systems in volcanic areas
  • Marble sulfation in monument conservation
  • Numerical simulation of plasma