3-year software engineering apprenticeship (2025–2028) at CEA Paris-Saclay (DES/ISAS/SGLS/LESIM), combined with an engineering degree in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Polytech Paris-Saclay.
I contribute to the development and modernization of SALOME, the open-source numerical simulation platform co-developed by CEA and EDF since 2000. My work spans the simulation workflow: mesh generation, mesh quality, post-processing, and the performance and robustness of the platform.
SALOME is an open-source platform for numerical simulation pre- and post-processing, used in research and industry (energy, aerospace, automotive, naval). It covers CAD geometry, meshing, coupling with external solvers, and visualization of results.
| Module | Role | My work |
|---|---|---|
| SMESH | Meshing | MeshBooleanPlugin, PolyMeshPlugin, mesh validity |
| PARAVIS | Post-processing (ParaView-based) | MEDReader fixes |
| Solver coupling | CFD preprocessing | Boundary layer insertion with code_saturne |
- 2 meshing plugins modernized in the SMESH module (Python, C++, PyQt)
- Pull requests merged upstream into the official SALOME repositories
- Cross-platform (Linux / Windows) process management, Python API design, automated tests
- Dedicated C++ converter (
geogram2med) built with Geogram and MEDCoupling
| Contribution | Link |
|---|---|
| MeshBooleanPlugin — Add Cancel Button | #22 |
| MeshBooleanPlugin — Complete dump study on boolean operations | #26 |
| PolyMeshPlugin — cross-platform refactoring & Geogram pipeline | Internal CEA/EDF repository |
Contributions to SalomePlatform were made from my work account @Nicolas-Saikaly.
| Year | Period | Focus | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Sep 2025 – Jun 2026 | Meshing plugins: MeshBooleanPlugin & PolyMeshPlugin | Completed |
| Year 2 | Jul 2026 – Jun 2027 | Performance, PARAVIS/MEDReader, mesh validity | In progress |
| Year 3 | Jul 2027 – Aug 2028 | — | Upcoming |
| Document | Link |
|---|---|
| Year 1 — detailed contributions | CEA2025-2026.md |
| Year 1 — apprenticeship report (FR) | |
| Year 1 — defense slides (EN) |
| Languages | Python, C++, CMake |
| Libraries & frameworks | PyQt, MEDCoupling, Geogram, VTK / ParaView, OpenFOAM |
| Testing & quality | unittest, Pylint |
| Tools | Git, GitHub, SAT, Linux (Ubuntu), Windows |
This repository contains only public-facing information. No proprietary code or sensitive CEA data is included.
Nicolas SAIKALY LinkedIn · nicolas.saikaly@cea.fr — nicolas.saikaly@universite-paris-saclay.fr