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Jacques Blum, PhD

Jacques Blum, PhD, is a Professor (emeritus) of Mathematics (tenured) at the Université Nice Sophia-Antipolis & Laboratoire Jean-Alexandre Dieudonné. He is internationally recognised researcher on “Inverse Problems”, using simulation, identification and optimal control of physical systems ruled by partial differential equations, with over 150 publications. He collaborated with the ITER Project (nuclear fusion) for plasmas behaviour and control in TOKAMAK reactors and LEGI Grenoble and LODYC Paris on oceanographic modelling for understanding current flows from altimetric satellite measurements. Mr Blum got his PhD in Mathematics at the Université Paris VI – Pierre et Marie Curie (cohort 1985). 

 

Course given

Data Assimilation

What will students take away from your course?


The theory and application examples that enable to include data into a model. It belongs to the large class of “Inverse Problems” that consist in improving a model – thanks to data. The typical example of application is external geophysics (meteorology, oceanography, climatology) where you have uncertain and chaotic models and where the data enable to improve the possibility of doing prediction, thanks to the coupling of data and models.

How?

Different algorithms will be proposed, either based on deterministic methods (such as least square or optimal control methods) or on stochastic methods (Kalman filter and its extensions).

Why do you believe it is important to include this course in the programme?

Because these techniques enable to improve the models which have uncertain coefficients, uncertain initial conditions, uncertain boundary conditions… and this can be useful in all the domains of science, technology, environmental studies and also for digital twin design, calibration, re-analysis.