Simulation & Systems Engineer

Javier
Galvez Buezo

From FEM solvers and multibody dynamics to knowledge graphs and CI/CD. I build things that model, simulate and optimise the physical and digital world. Based in Barcelona, Spain. Lucky to love what I do.

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Portrait of Javier Galvez
15+
Years of Experience
25+
Countries Visited
5
Countries Lived In
4
Languages
About

A bit about me

Engineer by training and conviction, original and based in Barcelona with my Venezuelan wife and our daughter, who arrived in 2025 and has quickly become the most interesting project I've ever worked on.

My career spans mechanical design, FEM analysis simulation, multibody dynamics research, software engineering and system leadership. I like problems that sit at the intersection of mathematics, physics and code. I thrive in multidisciplinary, multicultural and international team environments, and I am always eager to tackle new and challenging problems.

  • Location: Barcelona, Spain
  • Family: Married, father of a daughter born in 2025
  • Lived in: Barcelona · Liège · Eindhoven · Stockholm · Santa Fe, Argentina
  • Travelled: 25+ countries across Europe, South America & Asia
  • Languages: Spanish & Catalan (native) · English (professional) · French (basic)
  • Interests: MTB · Trekking · Climbing · Historical novels · 3D modelling · Arquitecture/Interior design
Background

Education

2015 – 2020
Ph.D. Engineering - Numerical Methods & Multibody Dynamics
University of Liège
2014 – 2016
MSc Modelling & Simulation
Autonomous University of Barcelona
2009 – 2012
MSc Structural Engineering
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
2004 – 2008
B.Eng. Mechanical Engineering
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Selected Work

Engineering Projects

Enterprise knowledge graph — Boehringer Ingelheim
Knowledge Graph · Systems Engineering
Knowledge Graph — Boehringer Ingelheim
As System Lead, analysed and optimized the AWS infrastructure of an enterprise knowledge graph platform at Boehringer Ingelheim, reducing cloud costs by 36% with no performance impact.
More Info
cavebudget
Web App · Finance
CaveBudget
Personal budget tracker built with FastAPI, HTMX and PostgreSQL. Category management, and i18n (EN/ES). Self-hosted on a home server (VPS).
Open App Repo (soon)
Hot roll FEM simulation — Hyperion Materials & Technologies
FEA · R&D · Optimisation
Hot Roll FEM Simulation — Hyperion
FEM structural simulation of carbide hot rolls using Abaqus, analysing stress distribution, thermal gradients and wear behaviour under rolling contact loads. Design optimisation led to a 25% increase in roll lifespan. Work also included part design optimisation that supported successful client acquisitions at Hyperion Materials & Technologies.
More Info
Tungsten carbide powder compaction and sintering simulation
FEA · Manufacturing · Simulation
Powder Compaction & Sintering — Hyperion
Abaqus simulation of tungsten carbide powder compaction and sintering for cutting inserts. The model predicts relative density distribution and final dimensions after sintering shrinkage, reducing the number of costly mould prototype iterations needed before a part reaches dimensional tolerance. Included a full refactor and performance optimisation of the existing simulation codebase in Python.
More info
VDL ETG centering module for ASML wafer handler
FEA · Precision Mechanics
Centering Module — VDL ETG / ASML
Structural FEM simulation and dynamic forces calculation for a centering module used in ASML wafer handler robots. Work covered hoisting analysis, design of auto-centering supports for optical cameras, and validation of mechanical behaviour under dynamic loads for high-precision semiconductor equipment.
More info
Punch FEM simulation pipeline
FEA · Automation
Punch — FEM Simulation Pipeline
End-to-end automation of FEM simulation workflows: geometry creation, mesh discretisation, boundary condition setup, solver execution, and post-processing. Generates a full PDF report with input parameters, result plots, and a structured summary.
View Repo
NSGA solver implementation in Oofelie
FEA · Software Integration
NSGA Solver & Contact Element — Oofelie
Development and implementation of the nonsmooth generalised-α (NSGA) solver and a node-to-face frictional contact element into Oofelie::Multiphysics, the commercial FEM software by Open Engineering. Coded as new C++ classes reusing the existing element library without modification. Validated against analytical solutions and prior numerical results.
Read Thesis Watch Video
Port yard container simulator
Simulation · Optimisation
Port Yard Container Simulator
C++ port yard simulator with a sea-side oriented heuristic algorithm minimising block relocation. Published at LOGMS 2015, Hong Kong. MSc thesis in Modelling & Simulation.
View Repo
HP reliability test bench
R&D · Testing
Reliability Test Bench — HP
Custom bench test rig to validate long-term behaviour of mechanical systems. Data acquisition in C++ & Matlab macros. Resistance-to-wear qualification. Duration: 2 years.
HP 3D printer prototype
D Mechanical Design · 3D Printing
3D Printer Prototype — HP
Mechanical design of an early 3D printer prototype at HP. Powder transport, 0.1 mm layer precision, operating at 80–250 °C. PTC Creo Elements. This product finally reached production as HP Jet Fusion.
Know More
Train black water tank CAD
Mechanical Design
Train Black Water Tank
Full CAD assembly in Catia V5 — 325 parts, 39 sub-assemblies. Weld design, passive & active thermal isolation. Two draftsmen supervised. Duration: 3 months (2013).
Structural simulation L9 Metro Barcelona
FEA · Structural
L9 Metro Tunnelling — Structural Simulation
Numerical simulation of building behaviour under tunnelling-induced settlements for the Barcelona L9 Metro line. Published at SAHC 2012, Wrocław, Poland. MSc thesis project.
Read Thesis
Industrial mixing fluid machine
Mechanical Design
Industrial Fluid Mixing Machine
Mechanical design and production drawings for industrial fluid mixing equipment. Introduced Inventor into the company — leading the transition from 2D to full 3D modelling. Link Industrial (2008–2009).
FEM stress analysis — Agilis car frame
Mechanical Design · FEA · Structural
Race Car Frame — FEM Stress Analysis
Von Mises stress analysis of the Agilis car rear frame using SolidWorks FEM. Erasmus exchange project at KTH Stockholm (2008). Design & validation of a water cut steel structure under dynamic loads.
Career

Experience

Mar 2023 — Present
Boehringer-Ingelheim
Barcelona
System Lead Engineer
  • System lead for a knowledge graph database system
  • Automated front-end testing with Cypress & Python
  • Optimised AWS setup, cutting costs by 36% with no performance impact
  • Maintained, enhanced and executed CI/CD release processes
  • Coordinated a cross-functional team of seven engineers alongside the PO
Jan 2021 — Mar 2023
Hyperion Materials & Technologies
Barcelona
Research & Modeling Engineer
  • Optimised & FEM-simulated hot roll design — lifespan increased by 25%
  • Optimised part designs leading to successful client acquisitions
  • Developed a modeling methodology to predict sintering behaviour
  • Automated repetitive tasks and built custom Abaqus plug-ins in Python
Apr 2020 — Dec 2020
VDL ETG
Eindhoven
Dynamics & FEA Engineer
  • Modelled dynamic mechanical systems for high-precision equipment
  • Designed & modelled semiconductor mechanical systems
  • Amazing position, unfortunately COVID-19 forced relocation to BCN for personal reasons
Aug 2015 — Jul 2020
University of Liège
Liège
Modeling Solver Engineer
  • Developed new numerical algorithms for multibody simulations with frictional contacts
  • Built a FEM solver using Lagrangian multipliers method optimisation
  • Implemented in C++ and Python; documented with Sphinx & LaTeX
  • Worked in a multinational academic research environment
Mar 2012 — Dec 2014
Hewlett-Packard
Barcelona
R&D Engineer
  • Coordinated life tests to validate product lifetime targets
  • Designed mechanical parts: CNC, sheet metal, 3D printing
  • Bridged mechanical design and firmware development teams
  • Programmed sensors and motor control systems with Arduino
Oct 2010 — Oct 2011
Alstom Transport
Barcelona
Intern Mechanical Engineer
  • Mechanical design & technical drawings for train components in Catia V5
Aug 2008 — Oct 2009
Link Industrial
Barcelona
Mechanical Engineer
  • Mechanical design for industrial fluid mixing machines
  • Introduced Inventor — led the company's transition from 2D to 3D modelling
Expertise

Skills

Software & Programming
Python
Object Oriented Programming
Automation Testing
CI-CD
Arduino
Engineering & Simulation
Finite Element Analysis
Multibody Dynamics
Mechanical Design
CAD Modeling
Structural Design
Mathematics & Methods
Linear Algebra
Optimisation (LP/NLP)
Differential Equations & Inclusions
Statistics
Numerical Methods
Software & Programming
Python Git AWS Docker Ansible Openshift Playwright Cypress Sphinx MATLAB Arduino VBA C++
Engineering & Simulation
Abaqus Ansys LSDyna PLM TeamCenter NX-Nastran NX Catia V5 Solidworks Inventor Abaqus Python API CNC Welding Sheet metal Tolerance
Mathematics & Methods
Differential Inclusions Set-valued maps Euler Runge-Kutta Newton-Raphson Finite Element Method Finite Difference Method Nonlinear Complementarity Problem Lagrange Multipliers Gradient Descent Monte Carlo LaTeX
Life

Beyond the desk

My personal finance algorithm is simple: spend on food, travelling and education; call it happiness-driven optimization.

🏔️
Outdoors
MTB, trekking, climbing — any excuse to be in the mountains
✈️
Travel
25+ countries and counting. Belgium was home for a while.
🍝
Foodie
Paella and tiramisu are non-negotiable life pillars.
📺
Culture
Historical novels, series, films and The Simpsons, always.
⚜️
Scouts
Six years as a Boy Scouts monitor (2006-2012), coordinating 130 kids and learning leadership early.

Let's talk

Open to interesting problems, good conversations, and the occasional tricky equation. Don't hesitate to reach out.

✉ jagabu85@gmail.com in LinkedIn ⌥ GitLab

Also check out my side projects: CaveBudget · LogExp