Curriculum vitae

About

Maurits H. Silvis

Maurits Silvis

Software Engineer | Mechanical Engineer | Computational Scientist | PhD

As a software engineer with a background in mechanical engineering, computational science and physics, I love solving complex problems using code.

I am an analytical thinker who is very skilled at breaking down complex problems into manageable pieces. I also have a keen eye for detail and an aptitude for keeping a high-level overview. As such, my work is accurate, structured and clear. Driven by curiosity and the desire to learn new skills, I thrive as part of a helpful, collegial team.

Until last year, I worked as a software engineer at beQualified, where I developed, maintained and tested a Java-based test automation framework for web applications. Previously, I obtained a PhD in mechanical engineering, for which I improved the accuracy and fidelity of numerical predictions of turbulent fluid flows. I also was a visiting researcher at several universities.

Moving forward, I would like to contribute to creating high-quality software for solving technological challenges. Therefore, I am currently looking for a position as a software engineer for high-tech, deep-tech or engineering applications.

Experience

  • beQualified GmbH

    Frankfurt, Germany / Remote
    Part-time
    2020/02 – 2022/03

    Remote
    Part-time
    2020/10 – 2022/03
    Responsibilities
    • Used Java to develop and maintain a Selenium- and Cucumber-based test automation framework for web applications.
    • Ensured the software quality of the framework by creating unit, integration and end-to-end tests using JUnit and Gherkin.
    • Deployed the test automation framework for use on a customer project and assisted test automation engineers with its usage.
    • Mentored and assisted colleagues and students.
    • Interviewed potential new employees and took part in making hiring decisions.
    Key achievements
    • Implemented a plugin system using Java modules and the Java service loader.
    • Loosened the coupling between different system parts using the command pattern.
    • Introduced web pages and automated end-to-end tests to verify all Cucumber step implementations.
    • Released several versions of the test automation framework for use on a customer project.
    Technical skills
    • Java 8, 11
    • JUnit5
    • Selenium WebDriver
    • Cucumber
    • Gherkin
    • HTML
    • JavaScript
    • CSS
    Tools
    • Git
    • GitLab
    • IntelliJ IDEA
    • Maven
    • Bash
    • Jenkins
    • Jira

    Remote
    Part-time
    2021/08 – 2022/03
    Responsibilities
    • Organized, prepared and led scrum meetings.
    • Planned the implementation of new features.
    • Wrote and refined user stories and epics.
    • Managed and prioritized the product backlog.
    • Tracked project progress and reported it to the management.
    Key achievements
    • Stabilized the agile process by introducing regular scrum meetings.
    • Improved user story quality by setting up refinement meetings.
    • Improved software integrity by emphasizing the importance of tests.
    • Supported the team in improving its productivity.
    • Created a project overview and documented workflows.
    Keywords
    • Agile
    • Scrum
    Tools
    • Jira

    Remote
    Part-time
    2020/04 – 2021/02
    Responsibilities
    • Created and maintained automated tests for a customer's web application using Cucumber, Selenium WebDriver and Java.
    • Executed automated smoke and regression tests using Jenkins and BrowserStack.
    • Analyzed test results using the ReportPortal.
    • Reported bugs in the customer product.
    Technical skills
    • Java 8, 11
    • Selenium WebDriver
    • Cucumber
    • Gherkin
    Tools
    • Git
    • GitLab
    • GitHub
    • Jenkins
    • BrowserStack
    • ReportPortal
    • IntelliJ IDEA
    • Maven
    • Gradle
    • Bash
    • Jira

    Frankfurt, Germany
    Part-time
    2020/02 – 2020/04
    Responsibilities
    • Created a single-page web application using React and TypeScript.
    • Created and customized React components.
    • Adapted component styling using CSS and SCSS.
    Technical skills
    • React
    • JavaScript
    • TypeScript
    • CSS
    • SCSS
    • Bootstrap
    • HTML
    Tools
    • Node.js
    • Visual Studio Code
    • Git
    • GitLab
    • Bash
    • Jira

  • University of Groningen

    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2013/09 – 2020/10

    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2013/09 – 2020/10
    Responsibilities
    • Conducted scientific research in the field of computational fluid dynamics, at the interface of mathematics, physics and engineering.
    • Maintained and extended fluid simulation software written in Fortran and MATLAB.
    • Performed numerical simulations of turbulent fluid flows on high-performance computing clusters.
    • Disseminated research results in scientific publications and during conferences.
    • Supervised students during their final research projects and taught (computer) practicals and tutorials.
    Key achievements
    • Managed several research projects, including an international collaboration involving 6 researchers from 3 different universities.
    • Published 5 first-author scientific papers in peer-reviewed international journals and conference proceedings.
    • Presented research results during 5 national and 10+ international conferences, workshops and meetings.
    • Acquired $12,000+ in funding to attend international conferences, workshops and summer schools.
    • Created an open-source toolbox for the construction and assessment of turbulence models using MATLAB.
    • Improved the accuracy and fidelity of numerical predictions of turbulent fluid flows.
    Transferable skills
    • Project management
    • Writing
    • Presenting
    • Supervising
    • Teaching
    • Science communication
    Technical skills
    • MATLAB
    • Fortran
    • Mathematica
    • LaTeX
    • C++
    Tools
    • Bash
    • Git
    • GitHub
    • Bitbucket

    Stanford University
    Stanford, California
    2016/06 – 2016/07
    Responsibilities

    Took part in the 2016 CTR Summer Program of the Center for Turbulence Research (CTR) at Stanford University.

    Project

    Exploring nonlinear subgrid-scale models and new characteristic length scales for large-eddy simulation

    Advisor

    Prof. Roel Verstappen

    Collaborators
    • Xavier Trias (Technical University of Catalonia)
    • Jane Bae (Stanford University)
    • Mahdi Abkar (Stanford University)
    • Adrián Lozano-Durán (Stanford University)

    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    Part-time
    2014/07 – 2016/07
    Responsibilities

    Supervised students during their final research projects.

    Projects
    • Bachelor research project in applied mathematics
      2016/03 – 2016/07

      “Assessing turbulence models for large-eddy simulation using exact solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations” by Daniel Ward

    • Master research project in applied mathematics
      2014/07 – 2016/05

      “A Family of Orthogonalised Nonlinear LES Models Based on the Velocity Gradient: Discretisation and Analysis” by Ronald Remmerswaal

    Co-advisor

    Prof. Roel Verstappen

    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    Part-time
    2015/01 – 2016/06
    Responsibilities

    Taught (computer) practicals and tutorials for mathematics and physics students.

    Courses
    • Numerical Mathematics
    • Partial Differential Equations
    Course details
    • Numerical Mathematics 1 for Mathematicians and Physicists
      2016/02 – 2016/06
    • Partial Differential Equations for Mathematicians
      2016/01 – 2016/06
    • Numerical Mathematics 1 for Mathematicians and Physicists
      2015/03 – 2015/07
    • Partial Differential Equations for Mathematicians
      2015/01 – 2015/05

    University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
    Los Angeles, California
    2014/09, 2014/11
    Responsibilities

    Took part in the 2014 Mathematics of Turbulence long program of the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

    Project

    The higher-order gradient model for large-eddy simulation of turbulent flows

    Advisors
    • Prof. Roel Verstappen
    • Prof. Arthur Veldman

  • Technical University of Darmstadt

    Darmstadt, Germany
    Part-time
    2019/02 – 2020/02

    Part-time
    2019/02 – 2020/02
    Responsibilities

    Conducted scientific research at the Chair of Fluid Dynamics (FDY) of the Technical University of Darmstadt.

    Project

    Symmetry-preserving discretization of partial differential equations

    Advisor

    Prof. Martin Oberlack

  • University of Groningen

    Groningen, The Netherlands
    Part-time
    2008/09 – 2011/07

    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    Part-time
    2008/09 – 2011/07
    Responsibilities

    Taught tutorials for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and industrial engineering and management students.

    Courses
    • Linear Algebra
    • Calculus
    • Mathematics Refresher Course
    Course details
    • Linear Algebra for Industrial Engineering and Management
      2011/04 – 2011/07
    • Calculus 1 for Mathematicians, Physicists and Chemists
      2010/09 – 2010/11
    • Linear Algebra for Industrial Engineering and Management
      2010/04 – 2010/07
    • Calculus for Industrial Engineering and Management
      2009/11 – 2010/02
    • Mathematics Refresher Course for Mathematicians, Physicists and Chemists
      2009/09 – 2009/10
    • Calculus for Industrial Engineering and Management
      2008/11 – 2009/02
    • Mathematics Refresher Course for Mathematicians, Physicists and Chemists
      2008/09 – 2008/10

    University Center for Learning & Teaching (UOCG)
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    Part-time
    2009/03 – 2010/06
    Responsibilities

    Taught physics at the exam training for secondary-school pupils.

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy – PhD, Mechanical Engineering

    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2013/09 – 2020/10

    Thesis

    Physics-based turbulence models for large-eddy simulation: Theory and application to rotating turbulent flows

    Department

    Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

    Research group

    Computational Mechanics & Numerical Mathematics

    Advisors

    • Prof. Roel Verstappen
    • Prof. Arthur Veldman

  • Master of Science – MSc, Theoretical Physics

    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2010/09 – 2012/08

    Thesis

    Signatures of exciton-phonon coupling in linear absorption spectra of molecular aggregates: A polaron transformation approach

    Department

    Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials (ZIAM)

    Research group

    Theory of Condensed Matter

    Advisors

    • Erik Bloemsma
    • Prof. Jasper Knoester

    Distinction

    Cum laude (with honor)

  • Bachelor of Science – BSc, Physics

    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2007/09 – 2010/08

    Thesis

    A quaternion formulation of the Dirac equation

    Department

    Center for Theoretical Physics

    Research group

    Theoretical High-Energy Physics

    Advisor

    Prof. Mees de Roo

    Distinction

    Cum laude (with honor)

Skills

  • Transferable skills

    • Project management
    • Writing
    • Presenting
    • Supervising
    • Teaching
    • Science communication

  • Technical skills

    Application development

    • Java 8, 11, 17, 20
    • JUnit5

    Test automation

    • Selenium WebDriver
    • Cucumber
    • Gherkin

    Front-end web development

    • HTML
    • CSS
    • Bootstrap
    • SCSS
    • JavaScript
    • React
    • TypeScript

    Scientific computing

    • MATLAB
    • Mathematica
    • Fortran
    • C++

    Text processing

    • LaTeX

    Scripting

    • Python 3

    Back-end web development

    • SQL
    • PHP

  • Tools

    Version control

    • Git
    • GitLab
    • GitHub
    • Bitbucket

    Command-line tools

    • Bash

    Agile

    • Jira

    Integrated development environments

    • IntelliJ IDEA
    • PyCharm
    • Visual Studio Code

    Build tools

    • Gradle
    • Maven
    • Poetry

    Scripting

    • Jupyter Notebook

    Continuous integration

    • Jenkins

    Test automation

    • BrowserStack
    • ReportPortal

    Web development

    • Node.js

  • Languages

    • Dutch
    • English
    • German

Accomplishments

  • Certificates

    Java
    Java Developer
    JetBrains Academy
    2022/10 – 2023/01

    10 finished projects, 260+ studied topics, 2600+ solved problems

    Java Core
    JetBrains Academy
    2022/10 – 2022/12

    9 finished projects, 270+ studied topics, 2700+ solved problems

    Introduction to Java
    JetBrains Academy
    2021/04 – 2022/02

    6 finished projects, 100+ studied topics, 1100+ solved problems

    Java for Programmers
    Codecademy
    2021/03

    1 finished project, 23 studied topics

    Learn Java
    Codecademy
    2020/02

    13 finished projects, 18 studied topics, 12 completed quizzes

    Python
    Introduction to Python
    JetBrains Academy
    2023/04

    4 finished projects, 50+ studied topics, 600+ solved problems

    Learn Python 3
    Codecademy
    2019/10 – 2020/01

    13 finished projects, 15 studied topics, 12 completed quizzes

    Numerical Python
    Center for Information Technology (CIT)
    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2017/05
    0.5 ECTS
    Introduction to Python
    Center for Information Technology (CIT)
    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2017/05
    0.5 ECTS
    C/C++
    Learn C++
    Codecademy
    2019/11 – 2019/12

    12 finished projects, 19 studied topics, 8 completed quizzes

    Programming in C/C++
    Center for Information Technology (CIT)
    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2016/09 – 2017/04
    12 ECTS
    Introduction to Programming Using MPI
    Institute for Computational Science and Engineering (DCSE)
    Delft University of Technology
    Delft, The Netherlands
    2017/02
    0.5 ECTS
    Other
    Introduction to SQL
    JetBrains Academy
    2022/11

    25+ studied topics, 250+ solved problems

    Learn SQL
    Codecademy
    2019/10 – 2019/11

    4 finished projects, 5 studied topics, 4 completed quizzes

    Teaching for PhD Students
    Educational Support and Innovation (ESI),
    Graduate School of Science (GGSS)
    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2015/03 – 2015/06
    2 ECTS
    Introduction to Teaching
    Educational Support and Innovation (ESI),
    Graduate School of Science (GGSS)
    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2014/06
    1 ECTS

    Science Communication and Public Engagement
    Graduate School of Science (GGSS)
    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2017/09 – 2017/10
    1 ECTS
    Popular Science Writing
    Graduate School of Science (GGSS)
    University of Groningen
    Groningen, The Netherlands
    2017/06
    0.5 ECTS

  • Awards

    Doctor of Philosophy – PhD, Mechanical Engineering

    • Became second runner-up for the 2020 Best Engineering Thesis Award (BETA) of the Groningen Engineering Center (GEC).
    • Awarded participation in the 2018 conference on Symmetry and Computation.
    • Awarded participation in the 2018 summer school on Symmetry, similarity and conservation laws in solid and fluid mechanics.
    • Received the Young Scientist Award for the best oral presentation at the 2017 International Workshop on Complex Turbulent Flows.
    • Awarded participation in the 2016 CTR Summer Program of the Center for Turbulence Research (CTR) at Stanford University for the research proposal entitled “Exploring nonlinear subgrid-scale models and new characteristic length scales for large-eddy simulation”.
    • Awarded participation in the 2014 Mathematics of Turbulence long program of the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

    Master of Science – MSc, Theoretical Physics

    • Obtained the MSc degree in Theoretical Physics with the distinction cum laude (with honor).

    Bachelor of Science – BSc, Physics

    • Obtained the BSc degree in Physics with the distinction cum laude (with honor).
    • Received the 2008 Holland Society Young Talent Incentive Award for the best first-year study results in Physics in the Netherlands.

  • Software

    See Software.

  • Publications

    See Publications.

  • Presentations

    See Presentations.