WHPC+

The Australasian Chapter of the global organisation Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC) aims to better support diversity within and across the Australian and New Zealand HPC and eResearch sectors.

The initiative, a collaboration between Monash University, Australasian eResearch Organisations (AeRO), NCI Australia, Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, and New Zealand eScience Infrastructure, was launched in 2020 at the eResearch Australasia (eResAU) Conference. 

“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.”

Goals of the Australasian Chapter include:

• 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

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

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.

Connect with the WHPCAusNZ community!

• Click here to subscribe to the WHPCAusNZ newsletter
• Click here to join the WHPCAusNZ Slack channel. Invite others to join as well!
• Follow @WHPCAusNZ on Twitter and/or @whpc-australasia on LinkedIn and use #WHPCAusNZ in any posts
• Join our fortnightly Zoom catchups to connect and chat with other Chapter members. Click here to register
• Have questions or want more information about our Chapter? Email WHPC@aero.edu.au

The WHPC AusNZ Organising Committee comprises the following member organisation representatives and aims to meet monthly:

Loretta Davis AeRO – Australasian eResearch Organisations 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 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.