We are CSCS: Mikael Simberg

Specialisation
I’m focused on various aspects of concurrency and parallelism in C++. I’m responsible for maintaining and developing a task-based runtime for use in projects at CSCS. A large part of my work involves helping and educating users to allow them to get the best perfor- mance out of their applications.

What working at CSCS means to me
I get to help science and scientists move their work forward in understanding the world. Despite my own work only occasionally being in direct contact with scientists, it moti- vates me to know that it is contributing to something useful for all of society.

What I like most about my work
The most valuable thing about working at CSCS is the people, who are kind, patient, and from whom I always find something new to learn. At the same time, it motivates me every day to know that I’m working on technologies that are at the leading edge of progress, and occasionally we get to push that edge a bit forward as well.

What challenges me at my work
Every day brings new technical challenges, whether it’s a high-level API design that needs to fit a user’s wishes or a concurrency bug deep in a runtime. This forces me to think and rethink about how I approach problems, to learn new techniques, and constantly push myself forward.