Research Computing Strategy Initiative
After a comprehensive series of focus group meetings with researchers across the University, the Office of the EVP for Research and CUIT charged a faculty-led task force in April 2023 to address the growing dependency on research computing. The Research Computing Faculty Committee (RCFC, see list at right), comprised of faculty from Columbia schools and colleges, met throughout the 2023-24 academic year to consider all the major elements of this plan, including but not limited to:
- Compute resources
- Data resources for analysis, sharing, storage, archiving, privacy and security
- Technology skills required
- Policy impacts
- High-level cost implications
The RCFC issued a research computing survey to all Columbia faculty in Summer-Fall 2023, urging them to share their thoughts on how computer and data might transform their fields in the next decade and how Columbia should evolve in order to supply researchers with the shared resources needed to thrive and be leaders in their fields. In parallel, the RCFC discussed the initiative with colleagues and administrators at their respective schools and conducted an analysis of the computing landscape at peer institutions. These findings were integrated into a comprehensive recommendation for a University-wide research computing strategy initiative, which was unanimously endorsed by the committee members.
The RCFC provided its recommendations at the annual SRCPAC meeting (February 6, 2024) and to the RCEC (May 10, 2024). The final report can be found below.