The Alabama Cyber Institute, based at the University of Alabama, announced a new strategic vision and direction of leadership.
A recent investment in the High Performance Computing and Data Center provided the infrastructure and instrumentation to facilitate the ACI mission’s of supporting key University research institutes in water, transportation, life research and materials, with plans to expand into new focus areas in the future.
The HPC center will be housed in ACI, coalescing faculty and students around cutting-edge computation-related research.
Dr. Allen Parrish, who recently served as interim vice president for research and economic development, has been named the executive director of ACI. While serving as interim vice president, Parrish provided valuable insight on developing a sustainable financial model for the HPC center.
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“The appointment of Dr. Parrish as the leader of ACI signals the University’s continued commitment to providing world-class facilities and the infrastructure needed to address societal grand challenges through high-level education and to train the next-generation workforce in this crucial area of national need,” said Dr. Bryan W. Boudouris, vice president for research and economic development.
“Dr. Parrish’s leadership experience and his domain expertise position him well to rapidly advance the mission of ACI.”
Parrish is a professor of computer science and workforce development senior adviser for the Alabama Transportation Institute, where he previously served as executive director.
“The development of a transformational high-performance computing facility as part of ACI marks a significant step forward,” Parrish said. “It will be transformative in convening companies with UA professors and students, facilitating joint efforts on computational projects and applied research important for our state and nation’s future.”
He was also chair of the department of cyber science at the United States Naval Academy from 2016 to 2018. Parrish’s appointment was effective April 1.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.
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