Hello, I’m Erlend! This is my website, which includes my blog and a list of my publications.
I am a physicist, specialising in acoustics. My main focuses are physical acoustics and computational physics, although I have touched on many topics throughout my research career. I am currently working both as a textbook author and a lead scientist in industrial ultrasound at the startup company Nicoustic in Trondheim, Norway. I am also a co-chair of the Acoustics group of the Norwegian Physical Society.
Work history
2024–: Scientific advisor / Lead scientist in industrial ultrasound, Nicoustic
Nicoustic is a local startup company developing a system for non-intrusive level measurement for solids and fluids in pressure vessels. Their technology concept matches very well with what I had been working on as an academic researcher, and I have been working with them since 2024.
2018–2026: Postdoctoral researcher / Researcher, NTNU (CIUS)
At the Centre for Innovative Ultrasound Solutions, I was working with non-destructive testing in oil wells. Specifically, I was working on drawing more information from acoustic log data and applying it in new ways, in particular for machine learning. Furthermore, my tasks included supervising Master’s and PhD students and working as a teaching assistant.
2013–2018: Research scientist, SINTEF Digital (Acoustics group)
In the acoustics group of the research institute SINTEF, I mainly worked on contract research for Norwegian companies. This work covered a wide range of topics, including simulations of waves and vibrations in solids and fluids, traffic auralisation, mapping methods for environmental noise, and applying deep learning to sound processing and analysis.
2009–2014: PhD student, NTNU
I did my PhD at the acoustics group at NTNU’s Dept. of Electronics and Telecommunications (now the Dept. of Electronic Systems). My topic was sound propagation in lattice Boltzmann simulations. This work led to four peer-reviewed journal articles, two conference articles, and one monograph thesis. During this period, I taught a course on computational acoustics for Master’s and PhD students and an introductory course on acoustics for Master’s students. I was also a teaching assistant in multiple courses.
2004–2009: Master’s student in Applied Physics, NTNU
I followed the five-year integrated Master’s (Sivilingeniør) program in Physics and Mathematics at NTNU. There, I chose the Applied Physics specialisation, and focused on courses in acoustics, computational physics, and signal processing.
Books and monographs
Continuum acoustics: Principles of waves in solids and fluids (in progress)
I am currently writing a new textbook for the Springer Graduate Texts in Physics series. This book is inspired by the difficulties I faced when I first started learning about waves in solids around 2014. While there are many books on the topic that are very impressive in the depth and/or width of their coverage, I have not yet found a book that I would recommend to a beginner trying to learn the topic from scratch. This book is my attempt to provide a smooth introduction to the field that prepares the readers for continuing with more advanced books and scientific articles.
The lattice Boltzmann method: Principles and practice (2017)
I am a co-author of this Springer Graduate Texts in Physics book. I co-wrote it with Timm Krüger, Halim Kusumaatmaja, Alexandr Kuzmin, Orest Shardt, and Gonçalo Silva from 2013 to 2016. Our book gives an approachable yet thorough introduction to the lattice Boltzmann method over the course of its 13 chapters. At the end of 2017, it was highlighted by Springer as their fifth most downloaded physics book published that year.
You can buy the book through e.g. Springer or Amazon. Depending on your institution’s subscriptions, you may even be able to download it for free through SpringerLink.
The lattice Boltzmann method: Fundamentals and acoustics (2014)
My PhD thesis consists of two parts. The first part is a general introduction to the theory that underlies my PhD work. It covers things such as a quick introduction to fluid mechanics and acoustics (including some aeroacoustics and nonlinear acoustics), the kinetic theory of gases, and the basics of the lattice Boltzmann method. The second part describes my PhD research on sound propagation in lattice Boltzmann simulations in a more unified and detailed manner than my individual articles do by themselves. It covers acoustic linearisation analysis, acoustic sources, and a method to vary the equation of state.
While the Springer textbook generally provides a better introduction to the lattice Boltzmann method, the thesis goes deeper into detail on some topics. You can freely download it from ResearchGate.