Peter Kelly Senecal, Ph.D.

Dr. Senecal is a co-founder of Convergent Science. He is a consultant to the automotive and engine industries and works closely with engineers on problems related to IC engine modeling and design. He is experienced at both managing and executing large consulting and software development projects for the private sector.

Dr. Senecal is one of the main developers of the CONVERGE™ CFD code. In this role, he primarily implements, improves and develops advanced sub-models for predicting liquid spray, hydrocarbon combustion, and emissions formation.

Dr. Senecal has extensive experience in the fields of multi-dimensional engine simulations and computational fluid dynamics. He has written a number of papers in the area of engine modeling and has presented at several national and international conferences including the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems. His pioneering research on the use of CFD in the engine design process has been featured in The New York Times, The London Sunday Times, and The Dallas Morning News as well as a large number of other media outlets. As a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Engine Research Center, Dr. Senecal developed the KIVA-GA code, which performs three-dimensional engine simulations within the framework of a Genetic Algorithm optimization technique. He is also the author of the widely used LISA (Linearized Instability Sheet Atomization) spray breakup model. In 2000, Dr. Senecal won awards for both the most valuable technical contribution and the best presentation at the ASME International IC Engine Division Conference.