The WHPC Workshop at PEARC26 (Minneapolis, MN, USA) has the primary objective of nurturing a diverse and inclusiveResearch Computing and Data (RCD) and High-PerformanceComputing (HPC) community. Our overarching goal is to cultivate competencies geared towards appreciating the value of a diverse workforce and establishing an inclusive environment that welcomes all Humans. This workshop builds upon successful events held during PEARC24 and PEARC25. Our agenda focuses on bringing the communities together through shared values of diversity and inclusion, advocating for all people from underrepresented groups. The focal points of the WHPC at PEARC26 workshop include:
- Enhancing diversity and inclusion across the entire RCD and HPC workforce.
- Facilitating a deeper comprehension of the nuances of diversity, equity, and inclusion across various demographic groups.
- Strategies for recruitment, retention, and success.- Promoting community building through interactive networking opportunities.
- Emphasizing the importance of learning from and valuing diverse experiences and career trajectories.
Fabio Andrijauskas, PhD is a researcher and engineer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego, and the University San Francisco in Brazil. He specializes in High-Performance Computing (HPC), cloud-native infrastructure, and distributed systems. His current work focuses on large-scale scientific data distribution platforms, contributing to major infrastructure initiatives including the Pelican Platform, the Open Science Data Federation (OSDF), and the National Research Platform (NRP).
Gladys Andino, Ph.D., is the IT-Research Computing’s Strategic Services and Education Manager. She leads strategic planning and user training programs, coordinating workshops and tutorials to meet the dynamic needs of UVA’s computational research community. Gladys also manages a team of student workers, enhancing IT-Research Computing’s efficiency and providing early exposure to HPC and scientific computing.
John Bradley serves as a Storage Specialist at Mississippi State University’s Advanced Research Collaboratory (ARC). For 15 years, he has nurtured a deep passion for the integration of technology in education. In his current role, John provides support to university, state, and federal research initiatives through storage administration and Linux system administration. Equally dedicated to education and outreach, he mentors students and runs the Student Program at MSU ARC, helping them fully leverage research computing. John co-founded the Mississippi WHPC Affiliate, with the intention to foster regional connections within the Research Computing and HPC community in the state of Mississippi
Michael E. Navicky is the Director of Operations for Research Computing at the University of Virginia (UVA), where he leads high-performance computing (HPC), research data, and AI/ML services supporting a rapidly growing research community. He focuses on scaling advanced cyberinfrastructure, including next-generation GPU deployments and on-premises AI and large language model (LLM) platforms, while aligning capabilities with institutional research priorities and expanding access for over 1,000 researchers.