Meet the staff: Prashanth Kanduri

Specialised in
My main project aims to create a library for particle simulations that will empower research in the fields of chemistry, molecular biology, and material science, among others. To achieve this, we co-design with developers of a simulation package called GROMACS. The project cuts through aspects of API design, numerical methods, high performance on current and emerging hardware  architectures, understanding workflows/goals of domain experts, etc. In addition, I get to play with new development platforms and assist in porting specific mathematical kernels for emerging hardware, sometimes via secondary projects or through hackathons.

Working at CSCS means to me
It is helping scientific research and enhancing our collective capabilities by building free and open toolkits; making my contributions in the public interest, as opposed to further enriching private companies; and directly impacting the trajectory of research by enabling new kinds of simulations on supercomputers.

What I like most about my work
I like getting to do the above-mentioned tasks while playing with some of the most cutting-edge machines in the world, thus being a part of the newest developments in the world of computing. More importantly, I like having a great learning platform by being among incredibly smart, diverse and very empathic people.

What challenges me at my work
Challenges include learning about fields I wasn’t formally trained in, understanding requirements of researchers, constantly being updated with recent developments, forming collaborations with  eminent research groups, and living up to the ambitious vision of the ongoing projects.