James Griffioen Named Director of UK Center for Computational Sciences

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 7, 2016) — The University of Kentucky Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to announce that James Griffioen has been appointed as director of the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS). 

“Since the start of the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS) in 1987, computing has revolutionized every level of research, academics, business and personal life,” Vice President for Research Lisa A. Cassis said. “An unprecedented number of research breakthroughs are being achieved through the use of big data and the ability to collect, capture, access, download, generate and analyze massive amounts of information. Enabling these types of breakthroughs requires support for new forms of computation. Dr. James Griffioen's background and experience with these rapidly evolving models of computation will play a key role as CCS expands and enhances its ability to support the new computational requirements faced by researchers across the campus.”

Griffioen received his doctoral degree in computer science from Purdue University and joined UK in 1991. He is currently a professor in the UK College of Engineering Department of Computer Science and serves as the director of the Laboratory for Advanced Networking. In this role, he has had a long history of collaboration with the CCS on high-performance networking and computing projects. 

Griffioen has worked closely with UK Analytics and Technologies on multiple projects to enhance the scientific computing infrastructure at UK, and he currently serves as co-PI (prinicipal investigator) on a project that is deploying high-speed software defined network infrastructure to support scientific research on campus.

“I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to play a role in shaping the future of research computing at the University of Kentucky,” Griffioen said. "The CCS has a long and distinguished history supporting researchers and advancing science through the use of high-performance computing (HPC). HPC will continue to be a focus, but there is also a need and opportunity to expand and enhance our research computing capabilities and faculty support by leveraging recent technology advances in areas such as cloud computing, high-speed programmable networks, virtualization, and the processing, management and visualization of big data. Helping researchers navigate this new space of computational options will be an important step toward advancing the research mission here at UK."

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uky4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu