Meet Daniel: Femto’s newest Simulation Engineer

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a big friendly nerd! But also active, international, and maybe even a little creative. Where does that come from? I love (video) games and fantasy/sci-fi, I played semi-professional basketball for over ten years, and I pick up an instrument every now and then. In my spare time, I hope to play more games (my favorite medium), discover new sports, and practice guitar. I also grew up abroad (Taiwan, UK, US, China, and Singapore) and didn’t visit my “home country” for the first time until I was sixteen. Since then, I’ve been living in the Netherlands and consider myself a Dutch international.

As for my professional background, I took quite a few detours before finding my passion for simulations and CAE.

I started with a bachelor’s degree in physics and philosophy, then taught physics and mathematics (IB and VWO) for five years, and then returned to university (this time TU Delft) for a master’s degree in Biomedical Technology. During that program, I did research at Femto on XFEM in atherosclerotic plaques. For my master’s thesis at Erasmus MC, I focused on predicting plaque ruptures with biomechanical modeling.

After graduating, I continued with simulations and started as a Junior CFD Engineer at ONE Simulations. When ONE was acquired by architectural firm Sweco, I remained there as a CFD and FEM engineer. My work mainly revolved around civil engineering projects: fire safety, HVAC, wind microclimates, and nonlinear structural analyses. I am particularly proud of my contribution to various smoke extraction projects for (among others) the HC Group and the structural designs for the renovation of Kade 2.020 in Amsterdam.

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

Although my path took many twists and turns, there was always a common thread of curiosity about how things work and how we develop concepts to understand that. That first drew me to the natural sciences and later to philosophy, when my questions became more abstract. After a brief crisis of meaning, which I overcame with the satisfaction I found in teaching, I regrouped by taking a more pragmatic course toward engineering.

Simulation engineering proved to be the perfect balance between concept and practice for me. Moreover, the variety in this field is an ideal antidote to my tendency to get bored quickly.

What do you hope to achieve in this role, or do you already have ideas or changes you would like to implement?

My personal goals are to further develop my CAE skills, push the boundaries of knowledge, demonstrate the value of CAE, and promote a diverse and reliable working environment. This means, among other things, that I want to deepen my knowledge of CFD, but also FEM and CAE. In addition, I hope to contribute to R&D and to be able to provide training again through our collaboration with Siemens. Through education and product development, I want to show the value of CAE to a wider audience.

Finally, I want to contribute to a reliable and diverse working environment, where people from different backgrounds and beliefs feel free to grow, discuss freely, and push the boundaries of knowledge together. And last but not least: have fun along the way!

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Contact: telephone+31 (0)15-285 0580  or email us at info@femto.eu