Research Computing Center at the University of Chicago

• The Research Computing Center (RCC) is a full-service high-performance computing (HPC) center serving the University of Chicago community.
• RCC is part of Research Computing, within the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research, Innovation, and National Laboratories.
• RCC supports researchers across all departments and divisions at the University of Chicago.

Mission and purpose

• RCC's mission is to advance research and scholarship at the University of Chicago.
• It does this by providing:
• High-performance computing (HPC) resources
• Data storage and data-management strategies
• Scientific visualization resources
• Access to research software
• Workshops, symposiums, and other educational events
• One-on-one consulting with domain experts and research programmers

Computing infrastructure

• RCC operates centrally managed high-performance computing clusters, including the Midway and Midway2 clusters.
• The Midway cluster is among the top 500 HPC clusters in the world and is the largest HPC cluster on the University of Chicago campus.
• RCC's user base includes hundreds of principal investigators and thousands of general users from nearly every division and department across the university.

Expertise and staff support

• RCC employs computational scientists, application developers, and research programmers who work closely with research groups.
• RCC experts help researchers:
• Design and run computational workflows
• Optimize and parallelize codes for HPC systems
• Use advanced software tools and libraries
• Implement data management and visualization strategies
• A dedicated technical support team responds to user issues and questions, typically within hours.
• RCC also maintains a walk-in user lab in the Regenstein Library for in-person support.

Advisory committees and governance

• RCC is guided by several advisory committees that support its mission, including:
• The Research Computing Oversight Committee, which advises on University-wide research computing strategy and issues.
• The Data Visualization Initiative Advisory Committee, which promotes and advises data visualization services.
• The Resource Allocation Advisory Committee, which advises on allocation of computing resources and services.
• Previous advisory bodies have included the Faculty Education Advisory Committee, which reviewed RCC's education and training activities.

• High-performance computing (HPC) clusters such as Midway and Midway2 for large-scale computational workloads.
• Data storage and data-management strategies for research data across disciplines.
• Scientific visualization resources to help researchers analyze and present complex data.
• Access to research software, tools, and environments commonly used on RCC systems.

Research support and consulting

RCC supports faculty, researchers, postdocs, and students at the University of Chicago through:

• One-on-one consulting with domain experts to help design and run computational and data workflows.
• Assistance with porting, optimizing, and scaling codes to run efficiently on RCC HPC systems.
• Help selecting and using appropriate software packages, libraries, and tools available on RCC resources.
• Guidance on data management and visualization best practices using RCC infrastructure.

Education, training, and events

• RCC organizes workshops, symposiums, and speaker events throughout the year focused on HPC, data-intensive research, and related topics.
• Each year, RCC hosts more than twenty workshops, symposiums, and speakers covering research computing tools, methods, and best practices.
• RCC maintains an event calendar on its website where upcoming RCC events are listed.

Mind Bytes

• Mind Bytes is an event that celebrates scholarship and research computing at the University of Chicago.
• It brings together faculty, staff, and students interested in high-end computing, data, scientific visualization, and the use of computation and data to advance research.
• The event date and details are announced and updated on the RCC website.

Getting started with RCC resources

• Prospective users typically begin by requesting an RCC account and any necessary allocations via the RCC website.
• Additional information on available resources, software, and running jobs is provided through the RCC User Guide and related online documentation.

Types of assistance available in person

At the walk-in lab, RCC staff can help with topics such as:

• Accessing RCC systems and clusters once accounts are set up.
• Understanding the basics of running jobs on RCC HPC resources.
• Navigating the User Guide and online documentation.
• Identifying appropriate training opportunities and workshops.

Other ways to reach RCC staff

In addition to visiting the walk-in lab, researchers can contact RCC via:

• Email: help@rcc.uchicago.edu
• Phone: (773) 795-2667
• Online Request Support / Contact Us forms on the RCC website.

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• Email for help and support: help@rcc.uchicago.edu
• Phone: (773) 795-2667
• General contact form / request support: Available via the Request Support and Contact Us links on the RCC website.

Walk-in user lab

• Location: Regenstein Library, suite 216, University of Chicago campus
• Purpose: Walk-in laboratory where researchers can receive on-site support from RCC staff.

User Guide and self-service resources

• RCC provides an online User Guide with documentation on accounts, software, running jobs, and other topics related to using RCC resources.
• The User Guide and related how-to materials are linked from the RCC website.

Newsletter

• RCC offers an email newsletter for updates about research computing resources, events, and news.
• Interested users can subscribe through the RCC website.

Who RCC supports

• RCC support is focused on faculty, researchers, postdocs, staff, and students at the University of Chicago who use or plan to use RCC resources for research and scholarship.

• The Research Computing Center invites qualified candidates to join its team supporting research at the University of Chicago.
• RCC staff work closely with faculty, researchers, postdocs, and students on computational and data-intensive research projects.

Typical roles and expertise

Examples of roles that RCC recruits for include:

• Computational Scientists with expertise in high-end computing and specific research domains, who:
• Serve as domain experts supporting and advising research groups.
• Help design, implement, and optimize computational workflows.
• Contribute to training and education activities.

• Application Software Developers, who:
• Collaborate with faculty and researchers on software projects.
• Develop and improve research software applications.
• Help maintain an application portfolio and create project specifications and prototypes.

• Senior HPC System Administrators, who:
• Help build and manage RCC HPC systems and facility operations.
• Participate in procurement and management of HPC hardware and software.

How to find current openings

• Open positions at RCC are listed on the University of Chicago job site.
• For each role, the University publishes details such as responsibilities, required qualifications, pay range, and benefits eligibility.
• Prospective applicants should visit the University job site to view the full postings and submit applications.

Equal opportunity statement (summary)

• The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer.
• The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law.
• Job seekers who need a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process can contact the University as directed on the job site.

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