Petr Hotmar is a Czech scientist and composer.
As a child he received piano training, acted on stage (e.g. ‘Divotvorny hrnec’ musical at a Musical Theater Karlin in Prague) and voiced numerous characters in radio plays (e.g. Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).
At the ‘Gate of Languages’ primary school he studied French, Russian and English. He trained in judo (Sparta Praha) and later kick-boxing. He was a member of a chess club (SK Oaza Praha), ornithologists’ club, and photography club. With interest in acting, he applied for admission at the Prague Conservatory, but was rejected as he couldn’t sing on pitch.
At the Masaryk Secondary School of Chemistry he developed passion for natural sciences, especially mathematics and computer science. He was a BBS operator (Cool BBS, Prague), and an avid programmer (assembler/c++), with interest in polymorphic viruses and game development (e.g. Skateboard Champion). He played drums in two rock/pop bands. He also worked summer internships as a lab assistant at the Hematology Laboratory of the Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, where he cultivated an interest in medical sciences.
He received university education from several institutes, with
- Master of Science in Cybernetics from The Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, Czech Republic,
- Master of Science and Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering from Florida State University, USA,
- Post-doctoral research fellowship in Computational Plasma Physics from University of Toulouse, France.
At the Institute of Chemical Technology he
- Researched use of maximum likelihood estimates in image filtering
- Developed a fuzzy control module for traffic lights
- Proposed a Lyapunov-based stabilization scheme for a magnetic levitation model
- Conducted research in Machine Learning, Nonlinear Systems Control and Digital Signal Processing
- Taught Scientific Computing (principal instructor)
As an undergraduate student he worked as a freelance English teacher (James Cook Languages), translator and interpreter (Skrivanek).
At Florida State University he
- Made contributions to the theory of fundamental solutions of Stokes equation
- Developed an extensive software framework for mesoscale simulation of polyelectrolyte dynamics in confinement (Tracker)
- Made contributions to the phase-space kinetic theory of polymer solutions
- Developed a hybrid method for Langevin dynamics of polymer translocation
- Optimized a prototype device for dielectrophoretic separation of microparticles
- Conducted research in Molecular Modeling, Microfluidics, Transport Phenomena and Applied PDE Theory
- Taught Process Design and Analysis, Chemical Engineering Computations and Unit Operations Lab
At University of Toulouse and LAPLACE laboratory he
- Developed simulation software (C++/Fortran/Perl/PHP) to model streamers in extreme electric field (Exfidis), and deposition in dielectric barrier discharge, with supporting Comsol/Matlab framework
- Proposed a novel design for DBD reactor and nozzle injector
- Developed a Direct simulation Monte Carlo code for pressure-driven orifice flow
- Set up and administered an HPC Linux cluster (CentOS)
- Set up an in-house web portal and database (LAMP) to interface research results
He currently works in private sector, where he
- Focuses on algorithm development for aerospace navigation systems, esp. Bayesian state estimation, and manages a dedicated high-performance computing cluster supporting such research.
- Developed models and performed analyses of alternative navigation in GNSS-denied environments, incl. low-frequency terrestrial radio, DME/DME, gravity-based, or terrain-aided.
Workshops attended include
- Advanced Language Skills (University of Chicago, Illinois, USA)
- Mathematical Modeling of Technological Processes (Technical University of Kosice, Slovak Republic)
- Program for Instructional Excellence (Florida State University, Florida, USA)
- Multi-Sensor Navigation (GSA, Prague, Czech Republic)
- Satellite Navigation Technologies (ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands)
Scientific conferences attended include
- 63rd Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (Long Beach, California)
- 31st International Conference on Phenomena in Ionized Gases (Granada, Spain)
- World Infectious and Rare Diseases Congress (Budapest, Hungary)
He is a member of several organizations, incl.
- Golden Key International Honour Society
For his scientific presentations and publications see the CV.
He specializes in computational physics, applied mathematics and medical biology. His other activities include
- Music composition and orchestration (focus on classical and orchestral music),
- Woodworking (focus on carpentry, furniture construction, wood turning),
- Rock climbing (focus on rope soloing) and sailing (National Solo and RS400 dinghies, certified Yachtmaster coastal),
- Schutzhund dog training (German Shepherds),
- Martial arts (formerly aikido 1st degree black belt),
- Dance (formerly latin-american ballroom at TK Astra Praha and a member of SECS salsa dance team).
