# Julian Marcon > Building geometry & mesh infrastructure for Physics AI platforms | C++, Python, HPC | 10+ years from NASA research to production AI Location: Redwood City, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/julianmarcon I've spent 10+ years solving the hardest geometry and mesh generation problems in computational engineering — from writing high-order mesh algorithms for NASA aerospace simulations to building the geometry infrastructure powering Physics AI platforms at production scale. My domain sits at the intersection of computational geometry, mesh generation, and high-performance computing. I've worked at the core of open-source simulation frameworks — Nektar++ and NekMesh — contributing algorithms now cited 267+ times across 12 publications. My technical foundation spans spectral/hp element methods, adjoint-based optimization, and high-order curvilinear meshing, with deep hands-on experience in C++, Python, and distributed computing environments. On the business side, I've delivered measurable impact: a routing optimization algorithm at 6 River Systems (a Shopify company) projected to save $10M+ annually, geometry repair pipelines at Luminary achieving 90%+ automated success rates, and a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellowship awarded competitively to advance adjoint mesh methods for aerospace simulation. I report directly to executive leadership and have driven products from beta to GA while mentoring engineers and building the technical foundations others build on. ## Work Experience ### Computational Meshing Engineer @ Luminary Jan 2022 – Present | San Mateo, CA • Led the beta-to-GA transition of Luminary's geometry and meshing platform, scaling from prototype to a production system supporting enterprise Physics AI workflows. • Architected the interface between the geometry kernel and the Physics AI system — unifying traditional CAD/meshing infrastructure with AI-driven simulation for both training and inference. • Operated as the full-lifecycle domain owner for geometry workflows in a high-ambiguity startup environment — defining requirements, building solutions, driving UX, and validating with customers across product, engineering, and design without formal role boundaries. • Built real-time CAD processing pipelines with 90%+ automated repair success rates and a geometry tagging system that cut user configuration time by up to 90%. • Designed a multi-kernel geometry processing architecture abstracting ACIS, Parasolid, EGADS, and an in-house discrete kernel — with IOP for cross-kernel CAD interoperability and parametric geometry ingestion from Onshape, ESP/OpenCSM, and Blender — enabling seamless history-based kernel switching and broad file format support. • Served as the primary technical authority for geometry across the organization — advising developers, solutions engineers, customers, and executive leadership. • Mentored 2 junior engineers (a Sutter Hill Ventures Codepoint fellow and a PhD graduate) through full development lifecycles, accelerating project delivery by 6 months. • Recognized with three internal awards — Rigor Award, Hackathon Velocity Award, and Speak Up Award — for technical excellence, rapid prototyping, and cross-functional initiative. ### Senior Operations Researcher @ 6 River Systems Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area • Designed a routing optimization algorithm achieving 15% reduction in warehouse travel distances, projecting $10M+ in annual cost savings. • Built a modular discrete-event simulation framework for robotics fleet performance analysis, enabling data-driven optimization across warehouse locations. • Led algorithm development reporting directly to the CTO, delivering measurable impact within a 4-month timeline. ### Postdoctoral Fellow @ NASA Ames Research Center Jan 2020 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area • Selected for the competitive NASA Postdoctoral Program fellowship to advance mesh optimization and adjoint methods for aerospace simulation. • Developed metric-aligned mesh generation algorithms using an Lp-CVT approach for complex geometry handling. • Built an automated adjoint code generation framework from tangent linearizations, reducing manual development time by 80%. • Implemented a high-order adjoint elasticity solver for mesh deformation optimization; contributed core algorithms to NASA's eddy computational framework. • Optimized parallel computing through multi-core code parallelization; published peer-reviewed work on high-order mesh optimization. ### Research Assistant @ Imperial College London Jan 2016 – Jan 2020 | London, United Kingdom • Led algorithmic development for Nektar++ and NekMesh — open-source frameworks for high-order computational methods now cited 267+ times across the literature. • Developed automated mesh generation algorithms for 2D structured and 3D semi-structured configurations, including cross-field methods for quadrilateral block-structured meshing. • Developed variational r-adaptation for adaptive mesh refinement in spectral element methods, and rp-adaptation to reduce computational cost in compressible flow simulations. • Published 8 peer-reviewed papers (3 journal, 5 conference) and delivered 15+ technical presentations during doctoral studies. • Secured dual competitive funding: Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship (EU Horizon 2020) and EPSRC grant; completed research secondments at ONERA (France) and San Diego State University (USA). ### Graduate Teaching Assistant @ Imperial College London Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 | London, United Kingdom • Led interactive tutorial sessions for Introduction to Aerodynamics, teaching fluid dynamics fundamentals to 25+ first-year undergraduate engineering students. ### Visiting Researcher @ San Diego State University Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | Greater San Diego Area • Research secondment hosted by Prof. David A. Kopriva, collaborating on high-order methods and mesh generation at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. ### Visiting Researcher @ ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | Paris Area, France • Research secondment hosted by Dr. Vincent Couaillier, Dr. Marta de la Llave Plata, and Fabio Naddei at ONERA's Computational Fluid Dynamics department in Châtillon, France. ### Development & Applications Engineer @ Open Engineering Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | Liège Area, Belgium • Developed core algorithms for the OOFELIE::Multiphysics simulation platform, advancing multiphysics finite element analysis capabilities. • Built a multi-harmonic simulation framework for frequency-domain analysis and implemented the FETI method for scalable parallel multiphysics processing. • Implemented symbolic differentiation algorithms for reduced-order and response surface modeling. ### Personal Tutor @ Unknown Jan 2014 – Jan 2016 | Liege Metropolitan Area • Delivered customized mathematics and physics instruction at secondary and undergraduate levels, maintaining long-term mentoring relationships spanning 2+ years. ### Applications Engineer @ Open Engineering Jan 2014 – Jan 2014 | Liège Area, Belgium • Performed multiphysics analyses for industrial clients, delivering engineering insights to support decision-making. • Delivered technical training and consulting, improving user proficiency; validated software features through testing protocols. • Developed technical documentation and user guides for customer self-sufficiency. ### Software Validation Engineering Intern @ Open Engineering Jan 2013 – Jan 2013 | Liège Area, Belgium • Developed a validation framework for the FINE/FSI-OOFELIE fluid-structure interaction solver at its initial release. • Built automated validation procedures and performance benchmarks; collaborated with developers to resolve issues before product launch. ## Education ### Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) & Diploma of Imperial College (DIC) in Aeronautics Imperial College London ### Master of Science (MSc) & Diploma of Imperial College (DIC) in Advanced Computational Methods Imperial College London ### Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mechanical Engineering New York Institute of Technology ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marconjulian - Portfolio: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=eX7lCHwAAAAJ - GitHub: https://github.com/j-marcon --- Source: https://flows.cv/julianmarcon JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/julianmarcon/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-10