[1][2] From 1965 to 1973, Oliger worked as a computer programmer and analyst at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado.
[3] Oliger is known for his work on numerical methods to approximate solutions of partial differential equations, with applications to weather forecasting.
For example, in his early work with Heinz in 1972, for a model problem on wave propagation Oliger determined to what order of Fourier analysis was required to guarantee a desired level of accuracy.
[2] In 1987, Oliger co-founded the Science in Computational and Mathematical Engineering degree program at Stanford with three colleagues.
[3] Oliger was the author of the widely used textbook, Time-Dependent Problems and Difference Methods, with Bertil Gustafsson and Heinz-Otto Kreiss.