Northern Ireland High-Performance Computing – a national facility jointly managed by Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University – have teamed up with the Irish Centre for High-End Computing to launch a new initiative set to grow the representation of women in the field of High-Performance Computing (HPC).
Women in High Performance Computing Ireland formally launched at a Dublin event on Thursday 20 March. This new chapter will see the island of Ireland join the global WHPC movement which has chapters and affiliates all over the world. The initiative will provide women and underrepresented groups in HPC with greater opportunities for learning, development and connecting with networks across the globe.
Thursday’s launch event was attended by the initiative’s Committee partner HPC Nexus Lab based at Technical University Dublin, leading tech figures, and featured keynote addresses from industry researchers and experts.
Speaking of the new all-island chapter, Professor Peter Robertson, Queen’s Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said:
“AI and High-Performance Computing are leading the way in research, not only in the tech and science arenas, but across all industries and commercial ventures. We are delighted that the island of Ireland has joined the latest chapter of Women in High Performance Computing.
“As researchers, we must be doing all we can to ensure the expertise of women and other marginalised or under-represented voices are brought to the fore. By doing so we can discover and tap into a deeper diversity of knowledge and experiences which will allow us to innovate while meeting emerging business and consumer needs.”
The launch comes shortly after the Queen’s awarded an Honorary doctorate to Libby Duane Adams, one of the founders of global tech firm, Alteryx, and one of very few women to have taken a tech company public on the US stock market.
Professor Kate Robson Brown, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact at University College Dublin, added:
“I am delighted to support the launch of the Women in HPC Ireland Chapter. High Performance Computing underpins many of our national ambitions in research, innovation and learning, and we must work together to offer opportunities to engage as widely and deeply as possible, and maximise accessibility within and across sectors. W-HPC Ireland will bring researchers,, technicians and developers together from commercial and higher education sectors right across our shared island."
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Professor Jean-Christophe Desplat, Director of Irish Centre for High-end Computing:
“At ICHEC, we are fully cognisant of the importance of gender diversity in the workplace and yet have been struggling to achieve the necessary balance, despite our commitment to diversity. The creation of an all-Ireland Chapter of Women of HPC, with our friends from NI-HPC, provides a much-needed vehicle to define and implement a longer-term, more structured approach to solving this challenge, sharing experiences and best practice.”
David Smyth, Director of Northern Ireland High Performance Computing:
“It is wonderful to see the extension of the Women in HPC community to the island of Ireland. Now, more than ever, it is important that we have a diverse and inclusive voice in the supercomputing community, raising the visibility of underrepresented groups and highlighting their contribution to the success of HPC and the wider research environment. NI-HPC are fully behind the mission and strategic objectives of Women In HPC and are committed to being supportive allies of the Chapter.”
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