XSEDE13 Conference to Devote Full Day to Biosciences

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A panel of distinguished experts will discuss the role of computation and data analytics in supporting discovery throughout the biological sciences when XSEDE13 – the annual conference focusing on computer science, education, outreach, software, and technology – is held July 22-25 in San Diego.

The discussion, called ‘Transforming Biosciences through Advancements in Computing and Data Analytics’, is part of Biosciences Day, to be held on Wednesday, July 24, at the San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina in downtown San Diego. The event is a key part of the annual conference by the National Science Foundation's eXtreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) program.

Biotech companies throughout the greater San Diego area, as well as those from other locations, are being offered a special one-day registration opportunity to attend the discussion and related presentations, which will feature a diverse range of top local biotech executives. Attendance will also afford industry attendees an opportunity to interact with researchers and students from around the U.S.

Please see XSEDE13’s online registration details to attend the single-day event. Sponsorship packages are also available, which provide companies with an opportunity to support this wide-reaching conference, as well as highlight their company name and capabilities.

“Computation and data analytics are beginning to play key roles in accelerating the pace of discovery across numerous science disciplines,” said Nancy Wilkins-Diehr, XSEDE13 general chair and co-director of XSEDE's Extended Collaborative Support Services. “This discussion panel and related presentations will provide an excellent opportunity for both industry and academic researchers to learn more about their specific impact on the life sciences.”

Wilkins-Diehr also is an associate director with the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), an Organized Research Unit of the University of California, San Diego.

In addition to the panel discussion, there will be plenary talks, paper presentations, lightning talks, project posters, a job fair, and a gallery of scientific visualizations. Moderating the panel will be Kevin Patrick, professor of Family and Preventive Medicine at UC San Diego, and director of the Center for Wireless and Population Health Systems in Calit2's Qualcomm Institute.

Panelists scheduled for the discussion include:

• Alex Dickinson, senior vice president, Cloud Genomics, Illumina. In this role, Dickinson is responsible for building a bioinformatics ecosystem for Illumina's customers to connect with academic, commercial, and open-source tool providers to accelerate genomic data analysis.
• Donald Jones, chief digital officer at the Scripps Translational Science Institute, and vice president of global strategy and market development for Qualcomm Life. Jones is responsible for Qualcomm's development of wireless technologies and platforms in the health, fitness, and life sciences markets.
• Darryl León, associate director, product management, Life Technologies. León is responsible for developing bioinformatics software and hardware solutions to support next-generation sequencing instruments, and has more than 10 years' experience with software informatics companies.
• Karen Nelson, president, J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI). Nelson has extensive experience in microbial ecology, microbial genomics, microbial physiology, and metagenomics. Since joining the JCVI, she has led several genomic and metagenomic efforts, including leading the first human metagenomics study, published in 2006.
• Glen Otero, Life Sciences HPC Solution Architect, Dell. Otero is responsible for capturing computational biology requirements from customers and incorporating them into HPC design recommendations for Dell's HPC Group, and works closely with Dell's partners to research and document various aspects of bioinformatics application performance.
• Nicholas Schork, director of bioinformatics and biostatistics at the Scripps Translational Science Institute. Schork’s expertise is quantitative human genetics and genomics, especially the design and implementation of methodologies to dissect the genetic basis of complex traits and diseases.

The annual XSEDE conference brings together hundreds of technologists, researchers, educators, and students from across the country. For full bios of all of the panelists and to learn more about Biosciences Day, please see https://www.xsede.org/web/xsede13/biosciences-day.