Homepage of Joachim Stadel	Contact Information:
	University of Zurich Institute of Theoretical Physics Dr. Joachim Stadel Winterthurerstr. 190 8057 Zurich, Switzerland

I joined the cosmology group, lead by Ben Moore, at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in July 2002. My main area of interest is in N-body simulations of structure formation in the Universe, but I am also interested in solar system dynamics. I am the principal author of the simulation code PKDGRAV and co-developer of its hydrodynamics extension called GASOLINE. PKDGRAV runs efficiently on very large parallel computers and has produced some of the world's highest resolution simulations of cosmic structures. When I arrived in Zurich, world-class simulation work in astrophysics could not be supported by the available computing resources in Switzerland, which led us into designing and building a new 288 CPU parallel computer called the "zBox". Our novel design has proven itself; the zBox has been running for over 2.5 years with exceptional stability, and has enabled fundamental research in astrophysics. We are now building (and already using) the "zBox2", a machine with 500 CPUs and a more than 5-fold increase in computing capability.

I also have some teaching responsibilities here; starting a new course this Winter 04/05 semester on numerical physics (2575) and teaching part of Ben Moore's introductory cosmology course. In September 2003 I was one of the lecturers at the Helmholtz Institute for Supercomputational Physics in Potsdam Germany on Planetary Chaos.

Before coming to Zurich I was at the University of Victoria, where I was a CITA (Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics) National Fellow. I completed my PhD at the University of Washington Astronomy Department in Seattle (another hotbed for mountain enthusiasts). I was in the theory alcove, otherwise known as "The N-body Shop". I worked for 2 years as part of the NASA HPCC project in the ESS division (now called the CT Project), where much of the first parallel simulation and analysis tools we use for N-body simulation were developed. I studied physics at the University of Toronto and before that undergraduate physics and mathematics at Brandon University. I spent 1 year working at the Max Planck Institute in Garching, Germany after my 3rd undergraduate year. If you care about these activities see my CV.

Although serious mountaineers might not tolerate living in Zurich (The Eiger Sanction), but a Canadian used to larger distances to peaks finds it a pretty good place for mountain activities. My main other outdoor pursuits are cycling and X-ctry skiing (skating and classical technique) and I like to take part in some open races.