Overview

With increasing reliance on computational simulation coupled with a continuing reduction in available testing, the importance of credible and trustworthy computational simulation is critical. Of course, these are in contradiction since to help establish more credible predictions more validation information is necessary. 

At Sandia our mission is to provide validated, science-based engineering expertise and solutions across the product life cycle (design, manufacturing, qualification, life assessment and resolution of in-service problems) to inform engineering decisions. The process of building credible analysis and experimental results is a difficult task for these complex, multi-physics problems especially when practical constraints lead to significantly limited information. 

An overview of verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification activities and tools used at Sandia National Laboratories that have been applied to support analysts in defending their simulations will be presented.

About the Speaker

Dr. Walt Witkowski - Sandia National Laboratories

Manager, Verification, Validation, Uncertainty Quantification and Credibility Processes Department

Dr. Walt Witkowski is the manager of the Verification, Validation, Uncertainty Quantification and Credibility Processes Department at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His group is responsible for developing and supporting the implementation of a consistent approach for the Quantification of Margins and Uncertainty (QMU) to assess and improve SNL’s predictive capabilities for national security applications with an emphasis on nuclear weapons, and to work with customers and stakeholders in a consistent manner. This mission is addressed through the development and implementation of a relevant set of Uncertainty Quantification (UQ), Verification and Validation (V&V), and Predictive Capability Model Maturity (PCMM) assessment methodologies, tools, and expertise.  Important aspects of this mission include the provision of leadership and education for relevant internal and external communities of experimentalists, modeling & simulation developers and practitioners, and decision-makers. 

Walt received a B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona. The he received a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin also in Chemical Engineering where his research topic involved model identification and parameter estimation. He has been at the labs for approximately 26 years and has worked in several technical areas during his tenure including artificial muscles, computational simulation, optimization, NLPE, and V&V/UQ.