ISC 2024 – Solution Forum Takeover

Dr Emma Barnes is Head of Research and Faculty IT at the University of York and  has spent the last nine years building the research IT offering at the University.  This includes establishing the Research Software Engineering group and project managing York’s first major cluster offering at the University (Viking).  Emma became a programming and Linux enthusiast whilst studying for her PhD in Astroparticle physics in Edinburgh and now aims to share her passion to support research at the University.

Ian Colle serves as the General Manager of Advanced Computing and Simulation at AWS, which comprises all scientific/technical computing and simulation workloads. He joined AWS as the General Manager for High Performance Computing in November 2017. Prior to AWS, Mr. Colle served as the Global Director of Software Engineering for the Ceph Storage team at Red Hat, which he joined in April 2014 via the Inktank acquisition, where he held a similar role. Prior to Inktank, Mr. Colle was the Exascale Storage I/O Program Manager at Intel, which he joined as part of the Whamcloud acquisition. Prior to Whamcloud, he spent several years in a variety of software engineering leadership positions throughout the aerospace industry. Mr. Colle retired from the US Navy Reserve in 2018, after 28 years as an Intelligence Officer and Russian Linguist. He holds a BA Economics from the University of Illinois, MCIS & MTEL from University of Denver, MA Philosophy from Denver Seminary, and MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

WHPC ISC24 – Posters Chair + Interim Director of WHPC Chapters and Affiliates

Eleanor Broadway is an Applications Consultant at EPCC, the University of Edinburgh. She works in the team supporting the UK’s national supercomputing service, ARCHER2, providing in-depth support for users, implementing service improvements and developing training. She is also involved in a variety of technical research projects centred around optimising AI frameworks, porting applications to GPU and energy efficiency. Eleanor also regularly contributes to conferences and community events as an active volunteer for the Women in HPC (WHPC) community and to help promote HPC Outreach.

WHPC ISC24 – Solutions Forum Takeover Chair

Cristin Merritt, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Alces Flight, boasts over 20 years of enterprise technology experience, with 7+ years dedicated to High Performance Computing (HPC). Specialising in navigating technology market trends, Cristin’s work explores the convergence of technical and social sustainability in the drive towards successful supercomputing solutions. Her tenure at Alces Flight has seen her spearhead intricate integration projects, three of which garnered global acclaim for their achievements in multi-platform (hybrid) HPC. Cristin’s leadership has cemented Alces Flight as a trailblazer in HPC integration and managed services, delivering solutions tailored to current and future workload demands.

An active contributor to the HPC community, Cristin leads as Chair for Business Development on the Women in HPC (WHPC) Executive Committee, while also managing WHPC’s social media presence. Additionally, she serves as an editor for the Supercomputing Conference (SC) social media channels and runs their annual Women’s History Month profile project.

Originally from Panama City, Florida, Cristin holds a degree in Classics from the University of Florida. She now proudly resides in Oxford, United Kingdom, with her husband, son, and a menagerie of beloved pets.

WHPC at ISC24 – Travel Fellow

Shraddha Mahesh Thanki is a student specializing in High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Quantum Computing at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Germany. With a strong foundation in computer science through both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree, her focus is on using technology to address real-world challenges.

Shraddha’s experience as a System Engineer at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) provided her with practical skills in developing web and software solutions, using technologies such as Java, WebLogic, and Angular. These projects emphasized the importance of teamwork and technical proficiency.

Her academic projects, including a software solution for loan applications and an Android chatbot, demonstrate her ability to apply technical knowledge creatively and effectively. These experiences have sharpened Shraddha’s problem-solving skills and commitment to technological innovation.

Shraddha has also been recognized for her work in quantum computing, specifically a project that applied this technology to study fluid dynamics. This acknowledgment from Intel underscores her interest in contributing to important areas such as environmental science and aerospace engineering.

WHPC at ISC24 – Travel Fellow

Phoebe is a fourth year MNatSc BSc Natural Sciences undergraduate at the University of Leeds, UK, currently undertaking a year-long industrial placement within STFC Scientific Computing at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Daresbury Laboratory. Reading Physics, Biology and Mathematics, Phoebe is especially interested in the intersection between life and physical sciences. Her current project at STFC is focused on improving the quality of mesh-based methods used in large biosimulations, using the power of HPC to enhance global understanding of the complex intracellular mechanisms that are fundamental for life. Phoebe is developing a parallel, proof-of-concept Algorithm with a goal to aid the modelling of protein-protein interactions. Currently, this Algorithm is being implemented into the open-source, massively parallel, multi-physics software, code_saturne, to allow for large simulations at the mesoscale, modelling many proteins, as well as highly complex molecules beyond the current capabilities of the popular atom-based approach of Molecular Dynamics.

Cristina Manzano studied Telecommunications Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) in Spain and received her Master’s degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. Since 2009, she has been working at Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany as a data and file system expert in the “Technical Systems and Services” division of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. She has contributed to several European projects (EUDAT, DEEP projects), is part of the core team that developed and operates the LOFAR Long Term Archive, and currently leads the “Technical Services” team. Cristina has long been interested in the problem of the underrepresentation of women in science and the balance between work and family life, and co-founded the German WHPC Chapter “JuWinHPC”. She is also involved in the local women’s network “Female Voice”, which aims to strengthen women’s networking and support gender equality at Forschungszentrum Jülich through various activities.

Elisabeth Ortega is the Research, Development, and Innovation Manager at Do IT Now and one of the co-founders of the MAR chapter, a South European chapter of the Women in HPC initiative. With her extensive STEM background and profound expertise in High-Performance Computing (HPC), she is the driving force behind the human aspect of technological advancements. As a leader in R&D&I, her primary mission is to explore emerging trends in HPC utilization from both industry and academia. Her educational journey is multifaceted, encompassing a Ph.D. and an M.Sc. in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, underpinned by her undergraduate degrees in chemistry and computer science. She complements her STEM knowledge by finishing an M.Sc. in Quantum Computing technologies.

Marta Garcia-Gasulla is a group leader at the Computer Science department of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), which she joined in 2006. She obtained her PhD in Computer Architecture from Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC) in 2017. Her research interest includes load balancing, parallel programming models, performance analysis, and optimization.

She leads the Best Practices for Performance and Productivity (BePPP) group. With BePPP, she aims to bridge the gap between scientific domain researchers and computer scientists researchers. Promoting best practices for programmers to productively (re)structure their codes to obtain high efficiency and portability. She also captures the fundamental co-design input to be forwarded to the appropriate system software or architecture team to target their developments in the most helpful direction. This goal is materialized through collaborations with standardizing bodies (e.g., OpenMP ARB) or European projects (e.g., EPI, EUPilot, exaFOAM, POP2-3, DEEP-SEA, Plasma-PEPSC)

Mark Stickells leads the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, home to Australia’s leadership-class research HPC system, Setonix – the Southern Hemisphere’s most powerful, energy efficient supercomputer, and a national hub for HPC and quantum computing.  Pawsey provides essential HPC and data services supporting radioastronomy, including the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).  Mark is a member of Australia’s National Quantum Advisory Committee and a non-executive Director of Science and Technology Australia Ltd, a peak body representing more than 225,000 scientists and technologists.

In 2024, Mark was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his significant contribution to science, particularly information technology, and to the community.  He is a member of CEO’s for Gender Equity and an executive sponsor of the WHPC+ Australasian Chapter.

HPCKP24 Travel Fellow

Aleksandra holds a degree in Biotechnology with a focus on Bioinformatics and a master’s degree in Computer Science specializing in Systems Software. She is currently pursuing Computational Engineering at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling at the University of Warsaw. Professionally, Aleksandra works as a cyber security analyst, concentrating on data protection, digital identity management, and securing cloud infrastructure. Additionally, she specializes in data science methods, particularly using high-performance computing (HPC) for advanced analyses. As an External Lecturer at a private university, she shares her knowledge in programming, data analysis, and software design.

Meriam Gay Bautista-Jurney is a Computer System Engineer at the Computer Architecture Group in the Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division( AMCRD) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Her research interests include advanced research in CMOS and superconducting electronics, Single Flux Quantum (SFQ) circuits, conducting tests and evaluation of cutting-edge superconducting and CMOS EDA tools, quantum control hardware, analog & mixed-signal IC, and ASIC design & verification

Julita Inca Chiroque is a Research Community Lead at Queen Mary University.

She worked as an IT Specialist at IBM Peru which was considered the most elite IT position in Peru. She then traveled to the USA to participate in the Compute and Data Environment for Science team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She interacted with HPC supercomputers such as CondosHPC, Titan and Summit (the fastest supercomputer in the world in 2018).

Subsequently, she traveled to the UK to pursue a High Performance Computing Masters using supercomputers: ARCHER, Cirrus and Fulhame.

At UKAEA, she worked as High Performance Computer Software Specialist where she did simulations to help a Digital Twins STEP project to model components in a tokamak fusion reactor using two additional HPC supercomputers: Cumulus and Cambridge Service for Data-Driven Discovery.

Julita is convinced that Linux is the key that opens the doors of the High Performance Computing world.

Nicole Fisk is the Global Public Sector Lead for AI within HPE’s High Performance Compute and Artificial Intelligence Business Unit. She is responsible for working with public sector organizations to understand ever-changing requirements and challenges associated with pursuing and deploying AI. In this role, she works with HPE’s engineering teams to incorporate those requirements into our product strategy and collaborates with marketing and strategy teams to translate HPE’s AI capabilities into meaningful outcomes for customers.

Before joining HPE, Nicole worked with Cray as their lead AI Business Development manager in North America supporting strategic initiatives in AI. This involved identifying AI market opportunities in new industries as well as working with engineering teams to position AI solutions in those markets. She joined Cray after 9 years with IBM helping U.S. Federal agencies leverage existing and emerging technologies to solve complex IT challenges and to position themselves for next generation advanced analytics, AI and machine learning capabilities.