Syver D. Agdestein↗︎

A little about me

Curiosity across scales

I’m Syver Døving Agdestein, a postdoctoral researcher in scientific computing at CWI in Amsterdam.

Portrait of Syver Døving Agdestein

I work on probabilistic simulation of turbulence, closure models, and differentiable programming in Julia. The central question: how do we account for the detail that a practical simulation cannot resolve?

I did my PhD at CWI on data-driven closure models for large-eddy simulation, treating the numerical discretization as part of the physics. The degree was awarded by Eindhoven University of Technology.

Away from research, I’m drawn to history, languages, and the piano. I’ve lived in Asker, Gembloux, Toulouse, Saint Petersburg, Paris, and now Amsterdam.

01Digging in

Employment

  1. 2026–Present

    Postdoctoral researcher

    Scientific Computing group, CWI ↗︎ · Amsterdam, the Netherlands
    Generative machine-learning closure models for large-eddy simulation.

  2. 2021–2026

    PhD researcher

    Scientific Computing group, CWI ↗︎ · Amsterdam, the Netherlands
    A mathematical framework for discretization, filtering, and structure-preserving machine learning for large-eddy simulation of incompressible turbulence.

  3. 2020–2021

    Software Engineer

    INRIA / École Polytechnique ↗︎ · Palaiseau, France
    Eigenfunction-based reduced-order modeling for direct simulation of diffusion MRI of brain tissue · 6 months

  4. 2020

    Research intern

    IRT Saint Exupéry ↗︎ · Toulouse, France
    Mixture-of-experts machine-learning models for multidisciplinary optimization of aircraft design · 6 months

02Learning the trade

Education

  1. 2021–2026

    PhD in applied mathematicscum laude

    Eindhoven University of Technology ↗︎ · the Netherlands
    Awarded May 2026. Thesis: Data-driven discrete closure models for large-eddy simulation of incompressible turbulence (research carried out at CWI, Amsterdam)

  2. 2015–2020

    Master of applied science and technology / Diplôme d'Ingénieur

    INSA Toulouse ↗︎ · France
    Integrated Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, specializing in mathematical modeling.

    2018–2019 · Exchange year

    Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University · Saint Petersburg, Russia
    Theoretical mechanics and applied mathematics

  3. 2012–2015

    Asker Upper Secondary School

    Norway

    2013–2014 · Exchange year

    Collège Saint-Guibert · Gembloux, Belgium

03Passing it on

Teaching & supervision

Master’s thesis supervision

  • 2026 · Eindhoven University of TechnologyLucas RonckersProbabilistic turbulence modeling with ideal large eddy simulation: Bayesian inverse filtering and flow matching
  • 2023 · University of AmsterdamViviane DesgrangeAn inverse problem approach for closure modelling

Lectures at schools and masterclasses

  • October 2023 · CWILearning neural closure models for fluid flowsAutumn School on Scientific Machine Learning
  • May 2022 · CWILearning physics from dataMasterclass on Machine Learning for Inverse Problems: A Bayesian Perspective

04Lending a hand

Service & outreach

  • Peer reviewCMAMEComputer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering
  • Peer reviewJCPJournal of Computational Physics
  • Works councilCWICWI works council
    2023–2025

05Tools for the road

Skills & languages

Research

  • Numerical analysis
  • Partial differential equations
  • Finite-element and finite-volume methods
  • Spectral methods
  • Turbulence and large-eddy simulation
  • Structure-preserving machine learning
  • Generative modeling

Computing

  • Julia
  • Python
  • MATLAB
  • High-performance computing with Slurm
  • Differentiable programming
  • Multi-GPU kernel programming
  • Git
  • Continuous integration
  • Agentic workflows

Languages

  • HeiNorwegianFluent
  • HelloEnglishFluent
  • BonjourFrenchFluent
  • ПриветRussianBasic
  • HalloDutchBasic
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