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When
Tue 23, Jun, 2026
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Where
CCH – Congress Center Hamburg
Congressplatz 1
Hamburg, , 20355
Germany
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Tech Talks by Women in HPC

Exhibitor Gala – June 23, 2026

We are excited to announce that, in partnership with ISC High Performance, WHPC will once again host the Tech Talks by WHPC on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Taking place in the Exhibitor Hall from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, this marks the fourth edition of our talks.

This year, under the overarching theme of “Connecting the Dots”, we are focusing on “Connecting Communities.” Throughout the evening, we will showcase a dynamic mix of invited and lightning talks, highlighting the many ways our community collaborates and grows together.

Thanks to the generosity of ISC 2026, this event is open to all conference and exhibition pass holders attending ISC 2026 in person.

2026 Agenda

Time
Activity
Presenters
19.00 Welcome Presented by

Dr. Vijeta Sharma, Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU), Norway
19.05 WHPC Chapters + Affiliates Update! Moderated by 

Dr. Buket Benek Gursoy, Irish Centre For High-end Computing (ICHEC), Ireland 
Welcoming Chapters & Affiliates:

  • WHPC MENA by Mennatallah Samier Saleh
  • Central European Chapter by Lucie Rožnovská
  • NHR | WHPC by Ayesha Afzal
  • JuWinHPC by  Cristina Manzano
  • WHPC Ireland by Katie O’Connor
  • WHPC at Purdue University by Taylor Graham
  • WHPC UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory by Jean Margaret Sexton
 19:20 Collect your WHPC Diversity Day t-shirts and swag!
19:25 Invited Talk Petra Dalunde, Head of AI Ecosystem and Policy at Mimer Swedish AI Factory, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden 
19:35 – 19:50 Lightning Talks
  • Sarah Johnston, A Faster Universe, No Big Bang Required: GPU Acceleration for CPU-based Astronomy Codes, Durham University
  • Safae Bourhnane, Adaptive Mixed Precision for Energy-Efficient High-Performance Computing, Fraunhofer SCAI
  • Tatiana R. Shmeleva, Fast mass-parallel simulation of discrete-event systems on GPU, University of Derby
19:50 Collect your WHPC Diversity Day t-shirts and swag!
19:55 Invited Talk Tami Wessley, Sr. Manager,  HPE AI Factories, HPE, USA
20:05 – 20:25 Lightning Talks
  • Sara EL Jadid, Scaling Genomics on HPC systems: Reproducible Workflows in Practice, Queen’s University of Belfast
  • Ayesha Afzal, Building Bridges: Optimal Performance and Sustainable HPC, NHR@FAU
  • Astrid Scott-Bennett, Words from a Technician with no Background in IT, University of Cambridge
  • Olivia O’Sullivan, From petaflops to people: Putting communications at the core of HPC, STFC Hartree Centre
20:25 Closing Remarks & Vote of Thanks Presented by

Dr. Vijeta Sharma, Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU), Norway
20:30 Exhibitor Gala ends

Tech Talk Chairs

Dr. Vijeta Sharma, Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU), Norway

Tech Talks by Women in HPC – Chair

Dr. Buket Benek Gursoy, Irish Centre For High-end Computing (ICHEC), Ireland

Tech Talks by WHPC – co-Chair

Buket joined Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) in 2012 as a Computational Scientist. At ICHEC, she has contributed to user support activities as part of the National Service and worked on various PRACE and EuroHPC projects within Performance Engineering. She has also participated in graduate-level teaching as part of the Training and Education programme. Before joining ICHEC, she received Ph.D. from the Hamilton Institute, Maynooth University and M.Sc. in Computational Science and Engineering, Istanbul Technical University.

Buket is a member of the Women in HPC Ireland Chapter committee. Her primary interests include performance engineering particularly in optimising complex hybrid HPC workflows.

 

Meet our Invited Speakers

TalkPetra Dalunde, Head of AI Ecosystem and Policy at Mimer Swedish AI Factory, RISE

TBA

Introducing our Chapter & Affiliate Representatives

Click here to learn more about our international network!

Mennatallah Samier Saleh, WHPC MENA

Lucie Rožnovská, Central European Chapter

Ayesha Afzal, NHR | WHPC

Cristina Manzano, JuWinHPC

Katie O'Connor, WHPC Ireland

Taylor Graham, WHPC at Purdue University

Jean Margaret Sexton, WHPC UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Meet our Lightning Talk Speakers

Sarah Johnston, Durham University

A Faster Universe, No Big Bang Required: GPU Acceleration for CPU-based Astronomy Codes

Safae Bourhnane, Fraunhofer SCAI

Adaptive Mixed Precision for Energy-Efficient High-Performance Computing

Tatiana R. Shmeleva, University of Derby

Fast mass-parallel simulation of discrete-event systems on GPU

Sara EL Jadid, Queen’s University of Belfast

Scaling Genomics on HPC systems: Reproducible Workflows in Practice

Ayesha Afzal, NHR@FAU

Building Bridges: Optimal Performance and Sustainable HPC

Astrid Scott-Bennett, University of Cambridge

Words from a Technician with no Background in IT

Olivia O'Sullivan, STFC Hartree Centre

From petaflops to people: Putting communications at the core of HPC

Call for Lightning Talks

Call for Talks: CLOSED

Our lightning talks submissions are now CLOSED.  

Are you attending ISC 2026 in Hamburg, Germany?  Would you like to be a presenter at our Tech Talks? As we explore the ever-evolving landscape of supercomputing, we invite you to share your insights, experiences, and research in a dynamic lightning talk format.

Overview:

In this fast-paced session, speakers will have the opportunity to showcase how they are pushing the boundaries of HPC, whether through groundbreaking research or innovative career trajectories. We encourage presentations that highlight novel approaches, diverse perspectives, and the transformative power of HPC in shaping the future.

Talk Format:
Each lightning talk will be limited to 5 minutes and each distinguished talk will be 15-20 minutes, providing a concise yet impactful platform for presenters to share their ideas. Talks can focus on any aspect of HPC, technical or non-technical, including but not limited to:

  • Cutting-edge research projects
  • Emerging technologies and trends
  • Career journeys and experiences in the field
  • Challenges and opportunities in HPC
  • Workforce development in HPC

Who Should Apply:
We welcome submissions from individuals across all career stages and backgrounds, particularly those from women and underrepresented groups in the field of HPC. Whether you’re a seasoned researcher, a rising star in the industry, or a student exploring the possibilities of HPC, we want to hear from you.

Additional Information:
Speakers are kindly requested to ensure they are able to attend the ISC 2026 conference in-person in Hamburg, Germany and are registered for the conference. Please note that we regretfully do not have travel support available for speakers at this time.

How to Submit: 

Our submission form is NOW CLOSED

To apply, please submit a brief abstract (maximum 250 words) outlining the content of your talk. Include your name, affiliation, and contact information with your submission. Click to apply.

Important Dates:

  • Submission Deadline: April 13, 2026 AoE  
  • Notification of Acceptance: April 21, 2026
  • Materials Deadline (Slides/Supporting Media): May 27, 2026
  • Tech Talks by WHPC: June 23, 2026

 

For any questions related to this submission, please contact:
Dr. Vijeta Sharma, Chair, WHPC TechTalk
Email: vijeta.sharma@ntnu.no