Research Cyberinfrastructure and Advanced Computing Advisory Council

The Research Cyberinfrastructure and Advanced Computing Advisory Council (RCAC) was launched in Fiscal Year 2020 to identify gaps in key research support services and to prioritize investments that will strengthen Ohio State’s competitive position as a leading national flagship public research university.

To achieve Ohio State’s bold vision for advances in research and creative expression, researchers must have timely and cost-effective access to key research support services, including research cyberinfrastructure systems and advanced computing technologies.

  • Cyberinfrastructure is a term coined by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and typically describes an environment that applies high speed networks to link people to powerful technology systems, data sources, visualization environments, and advanced, customized solutions. Specifically, it enables researchers to develop innovations and make discoveries that would be impossible without the underlying cyberinfrastructure.
  • Advanced Computing is a collection of high performance technologies such as: high performance computing, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning. These resources are combined to move "beyond Moore’s Law,” which is the idea that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years, but costs half as much.
RCAC Mission
  • To ensure Ohio State has the cyberinfrastructure and advanced computing resources its researchers need to be competitive at scale.
  • To identify gaps and prioritize investments in resources that will strengthen Ohio State’s competitive position.
RCAC Charge
  • Manage our portfolio and prioritize investments to address portfolio gaps.
  • Review, prioritize and propose investment plans to executives for sponsorship and funding.
  • Consider all investments, which may include any combination of technologies, people, services, processes, policy changes, etc.

RCAC Structure and Responsibilities

Executive Committee 

A steering group comprised of senior university executives, WMC leadership, representative deans and key partners.

Role and Responsibilities

Strategic Oversight

  • Set overall vision and direction
  • Appoint Advisory Board members
  • Evaluate strategic alignment
  • Identify partnership opportunities
  • Approve partnership investments
  • Resolve escalations
  • Support change management efforts

Members

  • Carol Bradford – Ohio State College of Medicine 
  • Ginger Breon – Ohio State Office of Technology and Digital Innovation
  • Melissa Gilliam – Ohio State Office of Academic Affairs
  • David Horn – Ohio State College of Arts and Sciences
  • Ayanna Howard – Ohio State College of Engineering
  • Tim Huerta – The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
  • Cathann Kress – Ohio State College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
  • Scott Osborne – Ohio State Corporate Engagement Office
  • Mike Papadakis – Ohio State Office of Business and Finance
  • Tim Robinson – CEO of Nationwide Children’s Hospital
  • Lou Von Thaer – President and CEO of Battelle

Meeting Cadence: 1-2 times/year (or as needed)​

Advisory Board 

A cross-functional team of leaders who devise partnerships that will accelerate research in key areas by reducing friction and filling gaps in the research support portfolio (facilities, infrastructure and services).

Role and Responsibilities

Portfolio Vision and Roadmap, Partnership Investments

  • Develop an integrated research support portfolio vision & roadmap
  • Propose partnership investments
  • Charter and monitor working groups
  • Review portfolio KPIs/Metrics
  • Resolve or escalate issues
  • Facilitate change management

Members

  • Siji Atekoja – The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
  • Tanya Berger-Wolf – Ohio State Translational Data Analytics Institute
  • Ginger Breon – Ohio State Office of the Chief Information Officer
  • John Casterline – Ohio State Department of Sociology
  • Kris Devine – Ohio State Office of Business and Finance
  • Peter Dohm – Battelle
  • Soledad Fernandez – Ohio State Department of Biomedical Informatics
  • Tim Haab – Ohio State College of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics
  • Christopher Hadad – Ohio State Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Courtney Hebert – Ohio State Department of Biomedical Informatics
  • Tim Huerta – Ohio State College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center
  • Damon Jaggars – The Ohio State University Libraries
  • Ray Jones – Ohio State Corporate Engagement Office
  • Igor Jouline – Ohio State Department of Microbiology
  • Lang Li – Ohio State Department of Biomedical Informatics
  • Bill Marras – Ohio State Integrated Systems Engineering
  • Randy Moses – Ohio State Office of Research
  • Maria Palazzi – Ohio State Department of Design
  • Peter White – Nationwide Children’s Hospital Computational Genomics Group

Resources (Members Only)

Meeting Cadence: 3-4 times/year (or as needed)

Working Groups

Teams of subject matter experts, stakeholders and thought leaders who will be appointed annually by the Advisory Board to address specific issues and/or systemic challenges with the research support portfolio (facilities, infrastructure and services).

Role and Responsibilities

Proposals

  • Analyze portfolio friction and gaps
  • Propose solutions to reduce friction and address gaps
  • Produce portfolio KPIs/metrics
  • Resolve or escalate issues
  • Lead change management

Computational Biology Working Group (CompBio WG)

  • Igor Jouline – Ohio State Department of Microbiology
  • Lang Li – Ohio State Department of Biomedical Informatics 

Data Infrastructure Working Group (DIWG)

  • Tanya Berger-Wolf – Ohio State Translational Data Analytics Institute
  • Damon Jaggars – The Ohio State University Libraries 

Data Storage Working Group (DSWG)

  • Siji Atekoja – The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
  • Ginger Breon – Ohio State Office of the Chief Information Officer 

High Performance Computing Working Group (HPCWG)

  • Aravind Asthagiri – Ohio State Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  • Ginger Breon – Ohio State Office of the Chief Information Officer
  • David Bromwich – Ohio State Department of Geography
  • Xiaolin Cheng – Ohio State Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy
  • Maryam Ghazisaeidi – Ohio State Department of Materials Science and Engineering
  • Jim Giuliani – Ohio State Office of Research
  • Christopher Hadad – Ohio State Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Lisa Hall – Ohio State Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  • Igor Jouline – Ohio State Department of Microbiology
  • Lang Li – Ohio State Department of Biomedical Informatics
  • Shawn Midlam-Mohler – Ohio State Simulation Innovation and Modeling Center
  • Xia Ning – Ohio State Department of Biomedical Informatics
  • Sameek Roychowdhury – The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center  – James
  • Doug Schumacher – Ohio State Department of Physics
  • Michael Townsend – The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James
  • Wolfgang Windl – Ohio State Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Secure Research Working Group (SRWG)

  • Jim Giuliani – Ohio State Office of Research
  • Shawn Midlam-Mohler – Ohio State Simulation Innovation and Modeling Center

Resources (Members Only)

 

 

Meeting Cadence: Monthly (or as needed by initiative timelines)


Contact

For questions or additional information, please contact Ginger Breon at breon.5@osu.edu.