The CISL Leadership Team works to ensure that scientists have the resources and services they need to pursue research into the complex processes that make up the Earth system, from the ocean floor and atmosphere to the Sun's core.

The CISL Leadership Team also encourages and supports CISL's ongoing and important work as a member of the local, regional, and national cyberinfrastructure community as well as the community at large.

Leadership

Doug Schuster
Interim CISL Director

303-497-1216 or schuster@ucar.edu

Doug Schuster serves as the Interim Director of the Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR). In this capacity, he directs the laboratory's initiatives in supercomputing, data curation and analysis, and community software applications essential to Earth system science. His leadership also spans research into emerging technologies, including data engineering, computational science, machine learning, and data assimilation. Doug is dedicated to utilizing scalable computing, AI, data curation and human expertise to advance Earth System Science research.

Prior to his current role, Doug led CISL's Information Science and Services section, overseeing the development of the NSF NCAR Geoscience Data Exchange (GDEX). He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and an M.S. in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University.

Riley Conroy
Interim Manager, Information Science and Services Section (ISS)

303-497-2467 or rpconroy@ucar.edu

Riley Conroy is the interim manager of the Information Science and Services Section (ISS) at NSF NCAR, which contributes to the development and maintenance of services that support the search, discovery, and long-term stewardship of NSF NCAR's data assets, including development of the Geoscience Data Exchange (GDEX). This work helps enable data-proximate computational research and ensures reliable access to a wide range of observational datasets and model outputs. Prior to joining NSF NCAR, Riley worked at NOAA, working within both NESDIS and the National Weather Service (NWS), where he supported data operations and advanced data accessibility for environmental information systems. He holds a bachelor's degree in geophysics and computer science from George Mason University.

Jasen Boyington
Section Manager, Cheyenne Operations Section (COS)

303-497-1134 or jasenb@ucar.edu

Jasen Boyington is the Section Manager of the Cheyenne Operations Section (COS) within CISL's High-Performance Computing Division, responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, and day-to-day operation of the NSF NCAR Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC), including the physical data center, central utility plant, building maintenance, and the 24/7 staff required to operate a self-sufficient, mission-critical facility. Boyington joined NSF NCAR in 2010 as Colocation Facilities Specialist, developing the Colocation Data Center Facilities Program before advancing to Facilities Services Operations Manager at UCAR, where he directed operations across 13 facilities. Prior to NSF NCAR, he served as Senior Facilities Manager, overseeing five national sites and two enterprise-class data centers. He holds certifications in industrial automation and building automation systems, and is a member of the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) and the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), and has served as a board member to 7x24 Exchange, an educational forum bringing together organizations to promote a better understanding of design, execution, and management issues involved in achieving reliability within all facets of mission-critical systems and operations.

Ben Kirk
Section Manager, Consulting Services Group (CSG)

Ben Kirk joined NSF NCAR in 2022 and leads the Consulting Services Group (CSG), where he oversees user support and resource allocation for the entire HPC community — spanning both NSF NCAR and university researchers. Before joining NSF NCAR, Ben supported NASA's Human Spaceflight Programs at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, developing and operating supercomputing resources and leading computational modeling and simulation efforts across the aerosciences. He holds a Master's in Computational and Applied Mathematics and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering, both from The University of Texas at Austin.

Amy Bauer, Assistant Director of Administration, Lead Lab Administrator

303-497-1258 or abauer@ucar.edu

Amy Bauer leads the administrative staff and processes for CISL, including oversight of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputer Center and UCAR Communications Pool budget function, and provides strategic planning, budget and human resources leadership for the lab. She joined UCAR Finance in 1995, was a member of the NSF NCAR High Altitude Observatory administrative team from 1997 to 2002, and has been with CISL since 2003. Amy has a B.S. in Finance from Regis University.

Sheri Voelz
Section Manager, Applied Computational Science Section (ACS)

303-497-1202 or mickelso@ucar.edu

ACS focuses on advancing the performance and sustainability of NSF NCAR's modeling infrastructure. Her group is responsible for porting models to GPUs, optimizing I/O workflows, compressing scientific data, evaluating code correctness, and researching emerging computing technology. Sheri has over 25 years of experience as a research software engineer, starting her career at Argonne National Laboratory in 2000 and joining CISL in 2014. She holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Colorado State University.

Bill Anderson
Section Manager, HPC Systems Group (HSG)

303-497-1243 or andersnb@ucar.edu

Bill manages the HPC Systems Group, which is responsible for the systems engineering and administration of the HPC/AI compute clusters, storage systems, and networking infrastructure. The group's portfolio includes two compute clusters (Derecho and Casper); multiple parallel file systems (including Storage Scale and Lustre-based systems); an object storage platform; a tape-based archival system; and a high-speed Ethernet backbone that interconnects the HPC environment. The team also supports a range of user-facing services such as Globus, JupyterHub, and an Open Science Data Federation data platform. Bill holds a B.S. in physics from the University of Chicago and an M.S. in computer science from the University of Colorado Boulder, and has more than 30 years of experience in systems engineering and software development.

Jeff Anderson
Section Head, Data Assimilation Research Section (DAReS)

303-497-8991 or jla@ucar.edu

Jeff is head of the Data Assimilation Research Section in CISL. He has been at NCAR since 2001 leading development of the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART). Before that, he was in charge of model development efforts at NOAA's Geophysical Dynamics Lab. He has a Master's in Computer Science from Berkeley and a PhD in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from Princeton University.

John Clyne
Section Manager, Intelligent Methods, Prediction, Analysis, and Community Tools (IMPACT)

303-497-1236 or clyne@ucar.edu

John Clyne leads CISL's Intelligent Methods, Prediction, Analysis, and Community Tools (IMPACT) section. IMPACT's mission is to empower the Earth sciences by harnessing the full potential of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), combined with NSF NCAR's expertise and its advanced computing and data resources. IMPACT staff conduct applied AI/ML research, develop robust and scalable tools tailored to geoscience workflows, and evaluate emerging technologies for trustworthiness, performance, and relevance.

John began his career at NSF NCAR in 1987 while completing his M.S. in computer science at the University of Colorado Boulder. His long career at NSF NCAR is driven by a passion for applying broad technical expertise to help better understand our planet and improve life on Earth for all.