Overview
Personal Profile
Kenny Gruchalla leads the visualization efforts in the Computational Science Center at NLR. His current research is focused on developing interactive scientific visualization techniques that provide tools for finding meaning in increasingly large and complex data. Kenny has more than 25 years of professional experience in scientific programming and scientific visualization, spanning several scientific disciplines, including aerospace, geophysics, molecular biology, and environmental engineering. Gruchalla's dissertation work focused on the development of a general framework to define multi-scale, multivariate, non-Cartesian regions of interest in large-scale turbulent flow data. His master's thesis research evaluated scientific workflows in immersive virtual environments. His current research interests include scientific visualization, immersive visualization, GPU computing, human-computer interaction, and energy-systems analysis.
Research Interests
Scientific visualization
Immersive visualization
GPU computing
Human-computer interaction
Energy-systems analysis
Professional Experience
Senior Scientist, NLR Computational Science Center (2009–present)
Research Scientist, Red Canyon Engineering & Software (2003–2009)
Visitor, National Center for Atmospheric Research Data Analysis Services Group (2006–2008)
Professional Research Assistant, University of Colorado at Boulder (2001–2006)
Senior Analyst, United States Antarctic Program (2000–2001)
Senior Software Engineer, Raytheon (1995–2000)
Education/Academic Qualification
Bachelor, Computer Science, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
PhD, Computer Science, University of Colorado Boulder
Master, Computer Science, University of Colorado Boulder
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Collaborations and Top Research Areas From the Past 5 Years
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Immersive Digital Twin Laboratory for Engineering Education: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-23-23838
Gruchalla, K., 2025, 23 p.Research output: NLR › Technical Report
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Architecture for Web-Based Visualization of Large-Scale Energy Domains: Preprint
Johnson, G., Molnar, S., Brunhart-Lupo, N. & Gruchalla, K., 2024. 9 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
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eGridGPT: Trustworthy AI in the Control Room
Choi, S., Jain, R., Emami, P., Wadsack, K., Ding, F., Sun, H., Gruchalla, K., Hong, J., Zhang, H., Zhu, X. & Kroposki, B., 2024, 26 p.Research output: NLR › Technical Report
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Immersive Visualization for Scientific Data Analysis
Gruchalla, K., 2024, 14 p.Research output: NLR › Presentation
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Opportunities and Challenges in the Visualization of Energy Scenarios for Decision-Making: Preprint
Molnar, S., Johnson, G., Gruchalla, K. & Potter, K., 2024. 8 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
Awards and Honors
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NREL Distinguished Member of Research Staff
Zhu, K. (Recipient), Vidal, J. (Recipient), Tao, L. (Recipient), Tan, J. (Recipient), Smith, W. (Recipient), Schaidle, J. (Recipient), Reese, M. (Recipient), Parilla, P. (Recipient), Palmintier, B. (Recipient), Musial, W. (Recipient), Moriarty, P. (Recipient), Mann, M. (Recipient), Mai, T. (Recipient), Luther, J. (Recipient), Laurens, L. (Recipient), King, J. (Recipient), Johnston, S. (Recipient), Jackson, R. (Recipient), Hodge, B.-M. (Recipient), Heath, G. (Recipient), Hale, E. (Recipient), Habas, S. (Recipient), Gruchalla, K. (Recipient), Gevorgian, V. (Recipient), Geisz, J. (Recipient), Fleming, P. (Recipient), Farrell, J. (Recipient), Ding, F. (Recipient), Denholm, P. (Recipient), Ciesielski, P. (Recipient), Churchfield, M. (Recipient), Bomble, Y. (Recipient) & Blackburn, J. (Recipient), 2021
Prize: Honorary award