Part of the TPC Seminar Series
Speaker: Sandra Gesing, Executive Director of the US Research Software Engineer Association (US-RSE) and Senior Researcher at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), University of California San Diego
Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2026
Time: 2:00 p.m. (CT)
Location: Virtual (https://argonne.zoomgov.com/j/1608919794?pwd=tONTcW6sOu6Z9iMxahSWAtfty7CaTK.1)
Abstract:
The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot aims to democratize access to AI infrastructure, data, models, training, and expertise for researchers and educators across the United States. The NAIRR Pilot Portal serves as a central entry point to this distributed ecosystem, helping users discover resources and overcome barriers to their effective use. This talk introduces the portal and its interactive sandboxes, which provide accessible, preconfigured environments for hands-on experimentation without requiring extensive technical expertise or complex setup procedures. Examples from machine learning, hydrology, topography, and forest science demonstrate how these environments connect resource discovery with practical applications. Beyond showcasing current capabilities, the talk discusses lessons learned in integrating heterogeneous cyberinfrastructure, supporting reproducibility and usability, and guiding users from initial experimentation toward larger-scale computational resources. It highlights the role of science gateways in making advanced AI and HPC infrastructure more accessible, sustainable, and useful for scientific discovery.
Biography:
Sandra Gesing is Executive Director of the US Research Software Engineer Association (US-RSE) and Senior Researcher at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), University of California San Diego. She also directs the NSF Center of Excellence for Science Gateways. Her research focuses on science gateways, computational workflows, distributed and parallel computing, and sustainable research software infrastructure.
She has led the development and coordination of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot Portal, focusing on making AI resources, tools, and computational infrastructure more accessible to researchers through user-centered design, interactive sandboxes, and integration of distributed resources. Her work bridges high-performance computing, AI-enabled research, and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a strong emphasis on usability, reproducibility, and sustainability. Previously, she held research positions at the University of Illinois, University of Notre Dame, University of Edinburgh, and University of Tübingen. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Tübingen, Germany.