Retaining the Advantage of a diverse HPC Workforce: How to deal with Microaggression
Most of us recognise that diverse teams foster increased productivity and output. However, in recent years it’s become increasingly clear that recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce is the single biggest challenge. What can we, each of us, do to improve diversity and build a more inclusive environment? Although, microaggression is not something people tend to talk about, it is a real issue that many of us have to face on a daily basis. But what is it? Have you ever heard of, or experienced microaggression?
Following a successful series of BoFs from Women in HPC (WHPC), this year we are joined by individuals not directly affiliated with WHPC, to focus on a topic that can affect any of us and contributes to workforce inequality. This BoF will discuss the real effects of microaggression on workplace culture and the danger it poses to recruiting and maintaining a diverse workforce, as well as its impact on the welfare and associated loyalty of employees. We will discuss microaggression across the spectrum of differences both those outwardly visible and those that are not.
The BoF will encourage audience participation by collecting and discussing attendees’ personal experiences of inclusion, exclusion and microaggression supported by a panel Q&A at the end of the session. The output of this BoF will be used to develop an online resource to understand and address microaggression for everyone in the HPC community.
Speakers:
Emmanouil Farsarakis, EPCC
Manos is an Applications Consultant at EPCC, The University of Edinburgh with a background in Physics and High Performance Computing. Working in HPC as a student, developer and ultimately a consultant, Manos has been involved in a many of novel multidisciplinary projects, collaborating with industry and academia, focusing on code modernisation, Exascale research and data science. Manos is also greatly involved in HPC training.
Since 2016, Manos has taken on the role of Communication and Media Officer of the “Staff Pride Network for LGBT+ Staff and Allies” at the University of Edinburgh. The network’s work since then has made a significant impact on inclusion and diversity at the University of Edinburgh, helping improve the university’s Stonewall Workplace Equality Index ranking by more than 130 places. Manos also coordinates diversity and inclusion activities for ARCHER, the UK’s National Supercomputing Service.
Mozhgan Kabiri Chimeh, University of Sheffield
Dr Mozhgan Kabiri Chimeh is a Research Associate/Research Software Engineer in Massive Scale Complex Systems Simulation with Accelerated Computing at University of Sheffield (Department of Computer Science), UK. Her role focuses on facilitating the use of accelerated architectures such as Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to accelerate scientific discovery.
She is actively involved in delivering tutorials at conferences/workshops, GPU training for CUDA and research software consultancy. Mozhgan has chaired several technical and scientific conferences. She is an active member of University of Sheffield Diversity and Equality Committee.
She earned a Ph.D. in computer science in 2016 and a master’s degree in Information Technology in 2008, both from the University of Glasgow in the UK.
Toni Collis, Appentra Solutions & WHPC
Dr Toni Collis is the CBDO for Appentra Solutions, Director of Collis-Holmes Innovations and Chair of Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC). Toni is a strategic manager in the HPC community as well as an experienced lecturer and trainer. The focus of her work has been on enabling those without detailed training in computer science and HPC to still use supercomputers. Her current role at Appentra focuses on democratising access to HPC by using the new Parallware technologies to lower the barrier for academics to write and maintain parallel software. Toni is passionate about enabling a broader range of people to make effective and efficient use of HPC facilities to help further their research. As Chair and Co-Founder of WHPC Toni also developed and led training aiming to diversity the HPC workforce by providing HPC tutorials for women academics and students in Europe.
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Registration information for this and our other ISC18 activities is available here.
