Applied Computing Innovation Centre — University of New Brunswick

ACIC

About ACIC

A University of New Brunswick research centre for applied computing, ocean engineering, and scientific software development.

The Applied Computing Innovation Centre (ACIC) is a research centre at the University of New Brunswick, housed in the Faculty of Engineering. ACIC brings together researchers in mechanical engineering, geodesy and geomatics engineering, and computer science to solve complex engineering problems that sit at the intersection of high-performance computing, physics-based modelling, and data science.

The centre's founding research team collectively generated more than $4 million in research revenue over the decade preceding ACIC's formal establishment — all directly related to the applied computing work the centre now carries forward. ACIC's engagement with DRDC on submarine hydrodynamics dates to 2000, making it one of the longest-running academic partnerships in the Victoria Class research program.

ACIC operates its own high-performance computing infrastructure, develops its own simulation tools, and trains graduate and undergraduate researchers in the specialized methods required for defence and ocean engineering work. Since 2006, ACIC has trained approximately 15 MSc students, 7 PhD students, and 7 research engineers in submarine-specific research.

Research Directors

Dr. Andrew Gerber

Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of New Brunswick

Andrew Gerber is a co-founder and research director of ACIC and has been involved with Victoria Class submarine CFD research since the late 1990s when employed with AEA Technology (eventually acquired by ANSYS). His research since coming to UNB in 2000 has focused on many aspects of applied CFD while also continuing to advance DRDC research topics. This DRDC research effort has focused on 6-DOF submarine maneuvering, projects in high-performance computing methods for fluid dynamics — particularly the development of GPU-accelerated solvers and their application to submarine maneuvering simulation, and more recently hull form and propeller optimization using CFD and ML surrogates. Upcoming underwater vehicle/submarine research is focused on full-scale (scale resolving) manycore CFD simulations and surrogate development for real-time tools such as DSSP. Over this time, he has initiated IP development for two start-ups out of ACIC, namely Envenio and its EXN/Aero manycore GPU solver, and recently SpatialOne Research and it Stage2 HPC focused engineering orchestration platform.

Research interests

Manycore High-Performance Computing · Methods in Computational Fluid Dynamics · Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics and Multiphase Flows

Selected publications

  • Bettle, Gerber, Watt. "Using Reduced Hydrodynamic Models to Accelerate the Predictor-Corrector Convergence of Implicit 6-DOF URANS Submarine Manoeuvering Simulations." Computers and Fluids, 102(October), pp. 215-236, 2014.
  • Zhang, Maxwell, Gerber, Holloway, Watt. "Simulation of the Flow over Axisymmetric Submarine Hulls in Steady Turning." Ocean Engineering, 57(1), 2012.
  • Eghbal, Gerber, Aubanel. "Algebraic Multigrid Employing Mixed Structured-Unstructured Data on Manycore Hardware." Journal of Computational Science, 17, pp. 494-508, 2016.
  • Ryan, Gerber, Holloway. "A Time-Dependent Eulerian Model of Droplet Diffusion in Turbulent Flow." Computers and Fluids, 131, 2016.
  • K.W. Wilcox, J.T. Zhang, I.M. McLeod, A.G. Gerber, T. Jeans, J. McMillan, A. Hay, R. Karsten and J. Culina. (2017). Simulation of Device-Scale Unsteady Turbulent Flow in the Fundy Tidal Region. Ocean Engineering. 145: 59-76.
  • A. Eghbal, A.G. Gerber, E. Aubanel. (2017). Acceleration of Unsteady Hydrodynamic Simulations Using the Parareal Algorithm. Journal of Computational Science. 19: 57-76.

Dr. Tiger Jeans

Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of New Brunswick

Tiger Jeans is a co-founder and research director of ACIC, with expertise spanning submarine hydrodynamics, vortical flow physics, and ocean renewable energy. His work on flow separation from submarine hull forms, UUV docking systems, and hydrodynamic modelling of underwater vehicles has contributed directly to ACIC's collaboration with DRDC. He has been involved in NATO working groups on computational methods for marine and military vehicle stability and control.

Research interests

Submarine Hydrodynamics · Ocean Renewable Energy · Aerodynamics and Hydrodynamics · Vortical Flows · Computational Fluid Dynamics

Selected publications

  • Holloway, Jeans, Watt. "Flow Separation from Slender Bodies of Revolution in Steady Turning." Ocean Engineering, Vol. 108, pp. 426-438, November 2015.
  • Watt, Roy, Currie, Gillis, Giesbrecht, Birsan, Seto, Heard, Carretero, Dubay, Jeans. "A Concept for Docking a UUV with a Slowly Moving Submarine Under Waves." IEEE Journal of Ocean Engineering, Vol. 41(2), pp. 471-498, April 2016.
  • Jeans, Fagley, Siegel, Seidel. "Irregular Deep Ocean Wave Energy Attenuation Using a Cycloidal Wave Energy Converter." International Journal of Marine Energy, 1, 2013.
  • Jirasek, Jeans, Martenson, Cummings, Bergeron. "Improved Methodologies for the Design of Maneuver for Stability and Control Simulations." Aerospace Science and Technology, 25(1), 2013.
  • Marshall, C., Jeans, T., Gerber, A., Doyle, R., "Modelling Out-of-Plane Hydrodynamic Hysteresis in Horizontal Submarine Maneuvers with Indicial Responses." Ocean Engineering, Vol. 339, November 2025.
  • Doyle, R., Jeans, T.L., Holloway, A.G.L., and Fieger, D., "URANS Simulations of an Axisymmetric Submarine Hull Undergoing Dynamic Sway." Ocean Engineering, Vol. 172, No. 15, pp. 155-169, January 2019.

Faculty

ACIC's submarine research program currently engages five UNB mechanical engineering faculty, with approximately ten graduate and undergraduate students and three industry and government partners active at any one time.

Dr. Juan Carretero

Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, UNB

Contributed ACIC expertise: Optimization

Dr. Joe Jall

Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, UNB

Contributed ACIC expertise: Experimental Fluid Mechanics

Dr. Matt Yao

Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, UNB

Contributed ACIC expertise: CFD Turbulence Modelling

Collaborating Group

UNB Ocean Mapping Group

ACIC collaborates closely with UNB's Ocean Mapping Group, a world-leading group in regional ocean modelling, seafloor mapping, sonar data collection, and underwater positioning. The two groups have complementary capabilities: ACIC contributes physics-based device fluid dynamic modelling and HPC computing, while the Ocean Mapping Group provides regional ocean modelling, bathymetric data acquisition and analysis. Together, they have developed integrated workflows that can connect sonar- derived ocean floor data, regional ocean models with device scale (e.g. tidal turbines/ship) simulations — a combination that supports both scientific research and practical decision-making for marine operations.

View a project example on SpatialOne →

Institutional Affiliations

  • University of New Brunswick
  • Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)
  • MARIN — Maritime Research Institute Netherlands
  • Submarine Hydrodynamic Working Group
  • NATO Applied Vehicle Technology (AVT) Programme
  • Australian Maritime College
  • Digital Research Alliance of Canada and it's subsidiary ACENET