Thomas Hauser named director of NCAR’s Computational & Information Systems Laboratory
Hauser will be responsible for NCAR’s state-of-the-art supercomputing, data storage, analysis, and visualization resources
Oct 2, 2023 - by Christa Bell
Thomas Hauser has been named director of the Computational & Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Hauser, who has been serving as interim director, joined NCAR in 2021.
“We are thrilled that Thomas will continue his leadership at CISL and NCAR,” said NCAR Director Everette Joseph. “Thomas has been instrumental in kicking off successful operations for our new Derecho supercomputer. He also will shape NCAR’s work to develop the next generation of computing resources to support the scientific community as we take on the most challenging and complex scientific questions of our time.”
Prior to joining NCAR, Hauser served as director of research computing at the University of Colorado Boulder. While at CU, Hauser created a nationally recognized research computing organization and co-founded the Center for Research Data and Digital Scholarship. He also partnered with other institutions to sustain National Science Foundation (NSF) investments in infrastructure. For a decade, he chaired the Rocky Mountain Advanced Computing Consortium (RMACC), through which more than 30 academic and research institutions promote access to high-performance computing. He also encouraged the formation of the RMACC chapter of Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC).
Hauser earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, specializing in computational fluid dynamics, from the University of Technology in Munich. He has been principal or co-principal investigator for dozens of grant-funded projects, including several for shared supercomputing, data, and networking services.
“The resources and capabilities NCAR offers the scientific community are second to none,” said Hauser. “As Earth science researchers across the globe ask the most important questions, CISL’s resources give them the power to find the answers. I enjoy working with the computing and research communities so we can envision and build the capabilities to meet the next generation of scientific research.”
As CISL director, Hauser will be responsible for the state-of-the-art supercomputing, data storage, analysis, and visualization resources NCAR offers to more than 1,500 users in the Earth system science community. He will also work closely with the NCAR Directorate to align CISL’s direction with the NCAR Strategic Plan.