HPCwire: Horst Simon Steps Down As NERSC Director

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December 15, 2006

Horst Simon Steps Down As NERSC Director

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Horst Simon, who has been director of DOE's National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) since early 1996, announced last month that he was stepping down in order to focus his energy on the two other positions he holds at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Once a new director for NERSC is hired, Simon will concentrate on his duties as Associate Laboratory Director for Computing Sciences and Computational Research Division (CRD) Director. With the search for a new NERSC leader officially under way, Simon took some time to talk about his decision and how he sees his future.

Question: For the past 10 years, you've served as the director of the NERSC Division at Berkeley Lab. Just over a month ago, you announced that you intend to step down from this position. Can you elaborate on your reasons?

Simon: For the past three years, I've officially held three jobs -- director of the NERSC and Computational Research divisions and Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for Computing Sciences. During the past two years, the ALD position has become much more demanding. We are also initiating a new Computational Science and Engineering partnership with the UC Berkeley campus, while also planning to construct a new building to house NERSC and CRD.

I simply had to reduce my workload and get additional help to give Computing Sciences at LBNL adequate management strength. Relinquishing leadership of NERSC was the obvious choice as I've held the position for 10 years. The center is very well established, has secure funding, is being guided by a five-year strategic plan and we have very supportive program management from the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research in DOE's Office of Science.

The new director will have one or two years to fully learn the position, then can begin to look for new directions. It's always better to recruit in a situation of stability versus a crisis.

In short, I've been overcommitted and this is the right time to make a change.

Question: It seems that much of your identity is as the head of NERSC. What's been the reaction to your decision?

Simon: A number of the comments have expressed surprise. After that, people ask me what I'm going to do next. I'm going to stay at Berkeley Lab and build the new Computational Science and Engineering program at the Lab and on campus. And I'll be around to work with the next NERSC director. After I explain this, people say, "I see."

Question: You're only the fourth director of NERSC since the center was established 32 years ago. Looking at other large centers, there is a similar low turnover of directors. Does this surprise you?

Simon: At first, it did seem surprising. But thinking about it further, it was not really surprising. The job is a fascinating, all-engaging activity. What could be more exciting than leading a center with large national and international recognition? The technology evolves at a rapid pace and there are always interesting political ramifications. This is a field that clearly doesn't stay still. For a person who needs a daily dose of intellectual stimulation, this is one of the greatest jobs you can have.

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