Nigel Shen

Hey there 👋! My name is Changxiao Shen (沈昶霄) but I go by Nigel. I am an SM → PhD student in the Center of Computational Science & Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), working with Prof. Wim van Rees in VanRees Lab. Before that, I was an undergrad at New York University (NYU) majoring Mathematics and minoring Computer Science, advised by Prof. Antoine Cerfon. Earlier on, I completed my high school at Hangzhou Foreign Languages School in Hangzhou, China.

I am interested in an interdisciplinary area among math, physics and engineering. I particularly enjoy working on the numerical side of fluid dynamics & plasma science. Besides academics, I also love ⚽ football (Bayern Munich), 🎱 pool, 🚲 biking, and 🎸 indie music (indie pop / rock).

🖇️ Quick Links

💡 Short Bio 🔬 Research 🗞️ Publications

📮 Contact:

✉️: shen827 at mit dot edu

📞: 917 378 2041

💡 Short Bio

My Curriculum Vitae

🎓 Education

🏅 Awards & Prizes

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, SM → PhD student in CSE-MechE, 2023-present

New York University, Undergraduate student majoring Math with departmental honors, 2019-2023

🏆 Hollis Cooley Memorial Prize, NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Science, 2023

🏆 Meritorious Winner, Mathematical Contest in Modeling, 2022

🏆 Dean’s List, NYU Tandon School of Engineering / College of Arts & Science, 2019-2023

🔬 Research

I’ve been focusing on research about computational math and simulations. My undergrad honors project, guided by prof. Cerfon, was about simulating plasma using a numerical method called Particle-In-Cell. I also studied the propagation of sound wave with Dr. Sam Potter, and created an inverse-design algorithm for acoustic cloaking materials. Earlier on, I have tried other topics like quantum computing and even philosophy of science!

🛸 Projects

Current