Title Information
Title
Bridging Rapid Simulation and Intelligent Reasoning: Geometry-Aware Neural Operators and Multi-Agent LLM Frameworks for Engineering Design
Type of Resource (primo)
dissertations
Name: Personal
Name Part
Kumar, Varun
Role
Role Term: Text
creator
Name: Personal
Name Part
Karniadakis, George
Role
Role Term: Text
Advisor
Name: Personal
Name Part
Bessa, Miguel
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Personal
Name Part
Rodriguez, Mauro
Role
Role Term: Text
Reader
Name: Corporate
Name Part
Brown University. School of Engineering
Role
Role Term: Text
sponsor
Origin Information
Copyright Date
2026
Physical Description
Extent
41, 308 p.
digitalOrigin
born digital
Note: thesis
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brown University, 2026
Genre (aat)
theses
Abstract
The objective of this research is to address two fundamental bottlenecks in modern engineering design: the prohibitive cost of high-fidelity physical simulations and the need for efficient design workflows. The research is presented in two interconnected parts. Part I develops a new generation of data-driven surrogates, geometry-aware neural operators, capable of delivering rapid and accurate physical predictions across varying designs. Part II shifts focus from simulation tools to the design process itself, developing Large Language Model (LLM) powered multi-agent frameworks to automate, augment, and reason through complex engineering tasks. Part I addresses a critical limitation of traditional neural operators: their inability to generalize across varying geometric domains, a necessity for design exploration. We progressively build this capability through novel neural operator frameworks. We first establish the Multi-Task DeepONet (MT-DeepONet) for synergistic learning across multiple geometries and PDE parameters. We then introduce Fusion-DeepONet, a highly data-efficient operator that proves robust in learning complex hypersonic flows for aerospace applications, enhanced by a derivative-aware loss to accurately predict critical surface quantities. Finally, a hybrid DeepONet-Transolver framework demonstrates versatility by capturing the highly nonlinear buckling behavior of complex structures. Collectively, these contributions deliver accurate, geometry-aware surrogates applicable across fluid and solid mechanics. Part II addresses the cognitive and collaborative aspects of the engineering design process by leveraging the reasoning capabilities of LLMs. This work evolves from a single-assistant model that orchestrates scientific machine learning workflows to a sophisticated multi-agent paradigm mirroring human teams in practice. We introduce a framework of specialized AI agents engaging in iterative design-and-review loops, grounded in domain knowledge via knowledge graphs. This system is then extended by integrating a set-based design philosophy and formal risk management. Here, a team of agents systematically prunes the design space using quantitative metrics like Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR), resulting in a curated set of risk-assessed designs to a human expert. In summary, by developing both advanced simulation surrogates and the autonomous design reasoning frameworks, this research establishes a new paradigm where AI systems act as effective partners to human engineers, enhancing the efficiency, creativity, and robustness of the entire design process.
Subject
Topic
agent-based models
Subject (fast) (authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/00910453")
Topic
Engineering design
Subject
Topic
Neural Networks
Subject
Topic
Large Language Model
Language
Language Term (ISO639-2B)
English
Record Information
Record Content Source (marcorg)
RPB
Record Creation Date (encoding="iso8601")
20260427