FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers on certification, software, ownership, confidentiality and money.
Can you certify our code or our model?
No. In France, certification is reserved for accredited bodies. I provide independent, documented and reproducible verification that you can add to your file or show to your customer.
Do you work with Ansys, Abaqus or COMSOL?
I do not run production computations in these programs. I do develop and verify user modules for them: Abaqus material models and user elements (UMAT, VUMAT, UEL), Ansys Fluent user-defined functions (UDF), COMSOL models. Your company provides access to the software and its licence. I can also check their results with independent reference cases.
Who owns the code you develop?
You do. The deliverables developed for you belong to you. My generic components, such as my verification libraries, remain mine and come with a free, perpetual licence of use. The contract says so in writing.
How do you protect our code and data?
With a non-disclosure agreement before any technical exchange. I work on your servers or on an encrypted machine, and I use no online AI service on your code or data without your written consent. At the end of the mission I return or delete your data, as you prefer.
Why do you prefer fixed prices?
Because you are buying a result, not time. The price covers a written scope. If the scope changes, you receive a costed amendment before any extra work starts. Time-based billing remains possible when the need calls for it.
What if the project turns out to be infeasible?
The custom solver or module starts with a feasibility milestone: you can stop there without paying for the rest. For the diagnostic, you pay nothing if the report contains no actionable recommendation.
Do you work in Switzerland and Germany?
Yes, mostly remotely, with occasional on-site days in the Upper Rhine region. Invoicing in Swiss francs is possible. I work and write reports in English or French.
Can my mission be funded?
In Germany, the Forschungszulage can cover part of the fees paid to an R&D contractor established in the EU. In France, the research tax credit requires an approved contractor, which I am not yet. Always check with your adviser.
What is your liability if a result is wrong?
I work under a best-efforts obligation, with liability capped at the mission amount and professional liability insurance. Above all, every result comes with its verification and its written limits, so you know what it is worth.
Do you use artificial intelligence?
I use AI to write code faster, never to replace the proof. I can also assess where an AI model trained on simulations goes wrong, by comparing it with computations whose error is controlled.
Which programming languages do you work in?
I deliver working code in the programming language you use, and I work with the solver libraries your code relies on. For parallel computing, I use MPI, OpenMP and OpenACC, on CPU as well as GPU. We go over your environment during the free diagnostic.
Do you take on long time-and-materials assignments?
Yes. I prefer fixed-price deliverables, but a time-and-materials assignment, a maintenance contract or fractional support a few days a month are possible for a recurring or still loosely defined need.
How soon can you start?
You receive a written proposal after the free diagnostic. We set the start date together, based on your schedule and my availability.
Let’s talk about your code.
A free 30-minute diagnostic is enough to see whether I can help, and at what price.