CS Area Research Shines at 2023 Postdoc Symposium

Eighteen Berkeley Lab postdoctoral researchers from across the Computing Sciences Area brought their A-game to this year’s CS Area Postdoc Symposium. Returning to a live, in-person format for the first time in three years, the daylong event was held on February 7 in the Bldg. 50 auditorium and via Zoom before an audience of colleagues, mentors, and scientists from across the Lab and beyond.

The postdocs’ presentations covered an array of computational hardware, software, and applied math research, from performance optimization, scalability, and portability to multiscale modeling, machine learning, and quantum systems. Specific science areas included physics, biology, microelectronics, materials research, and astrophysics.

Stefan Wild, director of the Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division, delivered opening remarks. (Credit: Margie Wylie, Berkeley Lab)

“It was inspiring to see our postdocs present their latest advances on the big stage,” said Stefan Wild, director of Berkeley Lab’s Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division. “Communicating your science to a multidisciplinary audience is challenging, and it was fun to see how these talks developed from the run-up to the final event – and even more fun to see how each speaker made it their own.”

In addition to giving the postdocs an opportunity to present their research in a public forum, the annual symposium features an educational component that includes communications training, mentorship, and coaching sessions.

Wild gave opening remarks and outlined this year’s format. After the lunch break, he introduced a surprise speaker: Carol Burns, Berkeley Lab’s deputy director for research. Deb Agarwal, director of the Scientific Data Division, gave the closing remarks with thanks to everyone involved in making the day a success including symposium chairs Daan Camps, Huo Chen, Revathi Jambunathan, Ankur Gupta, Jean Luca Bez, and Niladri Gomes. Dionne Myers of the CSA administration team organized the event with day-of assistance from Andrew Ratcliffe and Lisa Bruzdzinski. Carey Waage and James Lee of the CSA IT team provided AV support. 

Individual videos of the presentations will be posted to the CS Area YouTube channel as soon as available. You can »view more photos of the event in an online album.