Do you need research computing help?

This page describes the categories of research consulting I offer. Each project is fully customized, so if your project doesn’t perfectly fit into one of these perfectly, please contact me and we’ll come up with something together.

  • If you have a need for on-prem research computing infrastructure but don’t know where to start, I am happy to help! I will help with each step of the process, from hardware procurement to system management and operations support.

  • Do you have some existing hardware but need help making it more powerful or getting the best out of it? I can help upgrade both hardware and software and create a roadmap for making the most of your system.

  • Do you have a system already, but need somoeone to take care of it in a more long-term arrangement? I can provide system maintenance and support.

  • Do you need help writing efficient HPC code to solve a scientific (or social-scientific) question? I have a wealth of experience across physics, biology, and quantitative social science workloads.

Zero to Cluster

This service is for institutions that know they need to grow their HPC services but don’t know where to start. Interested in hardware for AI? Questions about what is better to do in-house vs in the cloud? Know you need some hardware but not quite sure what? Start here!

The process:

  1. We meet to discuss your institutional requirements, goals, constraints, and budget

  2. I develop an overview proposal with approximate cost and size estimate

  3. We meet again to go over the proposal. If we’re on the same page, I proceed to create a detailed design

  4. We mutually agree on the detailed design after as much evolution as is required

  5. We purchase hardware through a trusted vendor

  6. I will come on-site for initial hardware, network, and OS setup

  7. After the system is online, I can provide most support and maintenance remotely

Upgrades

Do you have some hardware that’s not running like it used to? Do you need to do some system software upgrades? Do you need new hardware to explore AI, deal with some performance limitation, or otherwise enable your researchers? Do you need to move services out of the cloud? Or into the cloud? Start here.

The process

  1. We meet to discuss your current situation and future needs

  2. If possible, I take a look around your existing infrastructure to see where we are

  3. I prepare an upgrade plan including any new hardware specs and cost estimates

  4. We meet to decide what path to take

  5. I preform upgrades. For major hardware changes, this can involve an on-site visit. In some cases, this can be done remotely

Ongoing support

Do you have a system but don’t have the time or the expertise to take care of it? I can perform system maintenance, OS upgrades, package installation, and other things like that.

The process

  1. We meet to discuss your current situation and needs

  2. I explore your setup a bit to learn how it works

  3. We arrange a transfer of knowledge from whomever is currently taking care of the system

  4. We agree on what kind of system care is needed - OS updates, package installation, responding to researcher requests, etc.

  5. Most to all system support can be done remotely and asynchronously

Application support

Are you using computers to answer research questions, and need help getting the most of your computing resources? Do you need help parallelizing or accelerating your workloads? I have experience helping make physics, biology, AI, and quantitative social science workflows perform more optimally.

The process

  1. We discuss your background, goals, and the current state of things

  2. I take a look at your existing code and if possible run a small version of it to understand the current situation

  3. I provide a work estimate and speedup potential estimate

  4. We work together to make changes to your code to make it run better