WHPC+

 

The Australasian Chapter of the global organisation Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC) aims to better support diversity within Australia’s and New Zealand’s HPC and eResearch sectors. We’ve added a “+” to our Chapter’s name, as we welcome people from all backgrounds and perspectives beyond gender to join our community – we all have a part to play in supporting diversity and inclusion.

Connect with us!

About the Australasian Chapter

Our Chapter was launched in 2020 at the eResearch Australasia (eResAU) Conference with the support of five founding organisations: AeRO, Monash University, NCI Australia, New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (NeSI), and Pawsey Supercomputing Centre

“Since its establishment, AeRO has been delighted to support the Australasian Chapter of Women in HPC and the growing community it represents,” says Loretta Davis, AeRO Executive Officer. “It’s important to note that the group is inclusive of diversity beyond gender and we encourage all allies to be part of this exciting community.”

Watch our 3min video on Why the WHPC Australasian Chapter in important or view the longer 8min version.

Our goals

  • identifying opportunities and future activities to improve diversity, inclusion, balance and belonging in HPC and eResearch
  • increasing the engagement of women in HPC
  • increasing the number of women in HPC
  • fostering collaboration and connections amongst existing diversity and inclusion initiatives

In May 2021, the WHPCAusNZ community came together to produce a list of concrete actions that HPC, eResearch and Big Data facilities and events can take to improve their diversity and inclusion practices. Read and Share the Concrete Steps for Supporting a Diverse HPC and eResearch Workforce.

Chapter Organising Committee

Our committee aims to meet monthly and welcomes ideas and feedback from the community.

Contact us by email at whpcanz@gmail.com.

Committee members as of 25 November 2023:

Loretta Davis
Independent

Loretta leverages 25+ years of IT experience to facilitate solutions in the areas of project and quality management, communications (including storytelling and technical writing), training, systems analysis and design, programming and testing as well as organisational and managerial/team lead mentoring.

Aditi Subramanya
CSIRO – Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre

Based at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, Aditi is a communicator in the digital world. Aditi loves tech and is passionate about creating diverse, inclusive mindsets and cultures. Aditi’s goal is to break global barriers to create fair opportunities for all.

Jana Makar
New Zealand eScience Infrastructure

Based at the University of Auckland, Jana is the Communications Manager at New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (NeSI). Prior to that, she worked with HPC consortia and other digital research infrastructure providers in Canada. It was there she first learned about and joined the global WHPC community.

Kiowa Scott-Hurley
Independent

Kiowa brings her passion for making complex information more accessible to her role as a HPC consultant. Growing up as a proud Aboriginal woman in a low socioeconomic regional town herself, Kiowa is absolutely dedicated to supporting more diversity in STEM.

Kerri Wait
Independent

Kerri has been working in the HPC sector for more than a decade and has been a member of the WHPC AusNZ Organising Committee since the Chapter’s launch. Kerri is particularly interested in supporting women from low socioeconomic backgrounds to explore careers in STEM.