LIFD Early Career Researcher Spotlight: Jose Lopez Florido
Thesis title: Physics Informed Machine Learning in Fluid Dynamics
School/ Faculty: School of Computer Science
Supervisors: Prof. P. K. Jimack, Dr. A. Khan and Dr. H. Wang (University College London)
Tell us a bit about yourself:
Hello! I'm Jose, and I'm now in the final year of my PhD. I grew up in southern Spain, where I attended an international British school, before moving to Leeds in 2017 for my undergraduate degree—an integrated Master’s in Aerospace Engineering. During my studies, I particularly enjoyed aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics, so the CDT in Fluid Dynamics was a great opportunity to deepen my understanding of the fundamentals of fluid dynamics and how we model it.
Outside of work, I practice several different sports, but lately, I’ve really been enjoying trips to my local cinema, the Hyde Park Picture House. I highly recommend a visit!
What is your research about?
I work specifically with Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs), a special class of AI models that not only learn from data but also incorporate knowledge of the underlying physics. PINNs achieve this by ensuring that the governing physical laws—often expressed as partial differential equations—are satisfied at various locations in the domain, known as collocation points.
The placement of these collocation points is crucial for training PINNs effectively, and my research focuses on improving how we select and update these points. Instead of keeping them fixed, we explore adaptive resampling strategies that dynamically adjust their locations based on where the error is high or the solution is more complex. This approach has led to more accurate and efficient solutions for 1D benchmarks, and we are now working on extending it to higher-dimensional cases.
What did you wish you knew before starting a PhD?
I wish I’d realized earlier the importance of maintaining a good work-life balance and compartmentalizing work. While there are times when important deadlines make overworking unavoidable, I found that setting a structured schedule was better for my mental health in the long run.
What are your plans for the future
After spending eight wonderful years in Leeds, I’d like to explore job opportunities abroad once I finish my PhD, though I can see myself returning to the UK in the future. I’ve really enjoyed research and am considering both academia and R&D in industry as potential career paths.