In this monthly feature, we’ll keep you up-to-date on the latest career developments for individuals in the high-performance computing community. Whether it’s a promotion, new company hire, or even an accolade, we’ve got the details. Check in each month for an updated list and you may even come across someone you know, or better yet, yourself!
PsiQuantum appointed Roland Acra as its chief business officer. Acra will be responsible for leading the company’s business strategy, including commercial, global market expansion, quantum applications and software development.
“I am delighted to be joining this exceptional and diverse team of world-leading quantum computing, semiconductor manufacturing and systems engineering experts to help bring what we believe will be the world’s first utility scale quantum computer to market,” Acra said. “Fault tolerant quantum computing promises to play a critical role in solving currently intractable problems in decarbonization technologies, pharmaceuticals and several more areas at the frontiers of science.”
Dr. Daniel Ahn and Dr. Michael Polley were named Fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Ahn is executive vice president and head of Samsung Electronics’s MX Business’ Mobile Platform Center. His contributions include providing users with differentiated mobile experiences through the development of innovative security solutions for Galaxy smartphones, artificial intelligence, IoT and cloud-based mobile platform function expansion and enhancement.
Polley is senior vice president and head of the Mobile Processor Innovation Lab at Samsung Research America, where he leads a team of algorithm and system designers focused on creating advanced technologies for Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones as well as next-generation mobile devices.
Rima Alameddine and Wendy Thomas
IonQ, a quantum computing solutions provider, appointed Rima Alameddine as its chief revenue officer. Alameddine joined IonQ’s leadership team from NVIDIA, where she served as vice president of enterprise sales for the Americas across multiple industries. At IonQ, she will lead the company’s commercial strategy to make quantum applications a widely-accessible reality.
In addition, Wendy Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Secureworks, joined the IonQ board of directors. Thomas leverages over 25 years of experience in strategic and functional leadership roles in the enterprise and brings a track record as a transformative leader in the technology industry.
Supermicro, an IT solution provider for cloud, AI/ML, storage, and 5G/edge, appointed Robert Blair to its board of directors. Blair was president and chief executive officer of ESS Technology, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company, for 19 years from September 1999 through July 2018, where he also served as a director from September 1999 through August 2019.
Blair’s background also includes more than 35 years of experience in marketing, sales, engineering, operations, and general management, principally in the computer hardware, software, and semiconductor industries.
Intersect360 Research, an HPC, AI and hyperscale analyst firm, appointed Steve Conway as a senior analyst. Conway joined Intersect360 Research from Conway Communications, where he was president of HPC and AI Industry Analyst Services.
“I’m excited to be reuniting with my former colleagues Addison Snell and Dan Olds, and to help with the leading-edge work Intersect360 Research has agreed to perform for its sterling roster of HPC clients in the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region,” Conway said.
Bert de Jong, Berkeley Lab’s Computational Sciences department head, Applied Computing for Scientific Discovery group lead, and deputy director for the National Quantum Initiative’s Quantum Systems Accelerator, has been named a 2023 Fellow of the Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program (OSELP).
“It is an honor to be selected as the 2023 OSELP fellow from Berkeley Lab,” said de Jong. “I look forward to joining the network of OSELP fellows and mentors to gain deeper insights into the operation of national laboratories, as well as the challenges and opportunities within the DOE lab system. It is a great opportunity to build new collaborations with my cohort fellows and learn from them.”
Sandia National Laboratories data engineer Rudy Garcia received the 2022 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Technical Achievement and Recognition (STAR) Award. Garcia was recognized for his work in research and engineering of large software systems and remote-sensing applications, along with his expertise in cloud computing and big geospatial-data architectures.
“I couldn’t have accomplished what I have without my family, friends and colleagues,” Garcia said. “I was the first in my immediate family to attend college and graduate with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer engineering. Being recognized at the national level with the Hispanic in Technology award is truly one of my proudest career achievements.”
Rigetti Computing, Inc., a pioneer in hybrid quantum-classical computing systems, appointed Dr. Subodh Kulkarni as its president and chief executive officer. Kulkarni was most recently president, CEO, and member of the board of CyberOptics Corp., a developer and manufacturer of high precision sensors and inspection systems for the semiconductor and electronics industry.
“Rigetti’s mission to build the world’s most powerful computers to help solve humanity’s most important and pressing problems greatly inspires me,” said Kulkarni. “Quantum represents the first paradigm change in computer technology in the seventy-five years since the transistor was created. I am humbled and honored by the opportunity to support Rigetti’s brilliant technologists and build upon its many achievements so far. I look forward to working with this exceptionally talented team to further develop, scale, and commercialize Rigetti’s full-stack hybrid quantum computing offering.”
Dr. Prineha Narang, co-founder and chief technology officer of Aliro Quantum, is one of seven distinguished scientists to serve as U.S. Science Envoys for 2023. In addition to her role as CTO of Aliro Quantum, Narang is on the faculty of Physical Sciences at UCLA where she holds the Howard Reiss Chair.
As a Science Envoy for Quantum Information Science and Technology, Narang will engage internationally with civil society as well as government stakeholders to help inform the Department of State, other U.S. government agencies, and the scientific community about opportunities for science and technology cooperation.
Aaron Passey
Aaron Passey, co-founder and chief technology officer at Qumulo, has returned to Qumulo as its senior engineer. Passey cofounded Qumulo with Peter Godman and Neal Fachan in 2012 with a shared vision of making data management easier for customers.
“It feels like a true homecoming to return to Qumulo, and I’m excited to be part of the team that I founded more than a decade ago,” said Passey. “With a great leadership team, happy customers, and code that is rock solid, how could I not rejoin? I’m excited to help take things to the next level.”
Quantum Xchange appointed Retired Admiral Michael S. Rogers to its board of directors. Rogers will advise the company on its go-to-market strategy and the continued innovation and adoption of Phio TX, the enterprise cryptography management platform and key delivery system.
“As global organizations begin to prepare for the largest cryptographic transition in the history of computing – replacing legacy encryption with quantum-resistant algorithms – they are seeking solutions that are standards-based, crypto-agile, and work with their existing network infrastructure,” said Rogers. “Quantum Xchange is meeting this need with its future-forward management platform that enables organizations to execute an enterprise crypto policy that evolves in lock step with the shifting threat landscape, advances in computing, and everyday cybersecurity risks. I look forward to working closely with the Quantum Xchange team to execute on its vision of delivering the future of encryption.”
OpenDrives, Inc., the provider of enterprise-scale, software-defined data storage and management solutions, appointed Izhar Sharon as its chief executive officer. Sharon brings 25 years of enterprise data storage expertise leading revenue growth and company scale for companies such as Infinidat, IBM and Dell EMC.
“OpenDrives’ open and agnostic approach to data management goes beyond impressive throughput rates and fast deployment,” said Sharon. “The company has created a culture where performance means more than numbers or latency, it’s the collective success of its customers, partners and team. This culture, along with clearly differentiated open technology, is one of many reasons I am incredibly excited to guide OpenDrives in its next phase of company growth.”
2022 ACM Distinguished Members
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has named 67 Distinguished Members for significant contributions. All of the 2022 inductees are longstanding ACM members and were selected by their peers for work that has spurred innovation, enhanced computer science education, and moved the field forward.
“The ACM Distinguished Members program honors both accomplishment and commitment,” said ACM President Yannis Ioannidis. “Each of these new 67 Distinguished Members have been selected for specific and impactful work, as well as their longstanding commitment to being a part of our professional association. As ACM celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, it is especially fitting to reflect on how our global membership has built our organization into what it is today. Our Distinguished Members are leaders both within ACM and throughout the computing field.”
National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee
President Biden appointed several individuals to the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC). For the list of all the appointees, click here.
The NQIAC is tasked with providing an independent assessment of the NQI Program and to make recommendations for the President, Congress, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science, and the NSTC Subcommittee on Economic and Security Implications of Quantum Science to consider when reviewing and revising the NQI Program.
2022-2023 SNIA Board of Directors and Technical Council
The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), a not-for-profit global organization of member companies spanning the storage market, announced its 2022-2023 board of directors and technical council members as it celebrates 25 years in the storage industry focused on advancing storage and information technology. For more details on the new members, click here.
“The continued evolution of the Board and Technical Council with new members and company representation is a testament to the impacts that SNIA has in the industry,” said Dr. J Metz, chair, SNIA Board of Directors. “As we look forward to the next era of storage and networking needs, we continue to see SNIA evolve the entire organization to provide ongoing support of the industry.”
To read last month’s edition of Career Notes, click here.
Do you know someone that should be included in next month’s list? If so, send us an email at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.
