Computational science in the spotlight at international conference organized by QF partner Texas A&M

International conference organized by QF partner Texas A&M at Qatar

More than 150 delegates attended the Fourth International Computational Science and Engineering Conference (ICSEC23) recently held in Doha. 
ICSEC23 was organized by Texas A&M University at Qatar’s Advanced Scientific Computing Center (TASC) in collaboration with two Hamad Bin Khalifa University research institutes, Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) and the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI). Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) co-sponsored the event.

“This conference is now a landmark event of Qatar, the region and beyond, bringing researchers, experts and stakeholders to discuss recent research topics in computational science, and the role computational science plays in tackling the most complex problems locally and globally,” said Dr. Ioannis Economou, executive associate dean at Texas A&M at Qatar. “Our strategic priorities emphasize research with real-world, economic impact on industry in the State of Qatar, the region and the world. We are dedicated to advancing applied computational research that enhances industrial and economic growth within the state of Qatar. In fact, we are proud to say that we have one of the most high-performance computing systems in the country and the region. Our deep commitment to research in computational science and engineering has led to strong collaborations with other academic institutions.”

First held in 2015 in Doha, ICSEC brings together researchers, experts and stakeholders to discuss recent research topics in computational science and its role in tackling the most complex problems locally and globally. The technical program featured more than 70 talks in a variety of areas, including computational science applications in oil and gas, computational biology and medicine, the electric grid and solar photovoltaic technologies, and advanced materials.

Conference chair and TASC director Dr. Othmane Bouhali said, “Texas A&M at Qatar takes great pride in our partnerships with industry, government, and academic collaborators, such as QEERI, QCRI, QNRF, and numerous others. These partnerships are instrumental in fostering the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and expertise, which is pivotal for driving innovation and fresh perspectives. This conference serves as a testament to the significance of these collaborations, as they contribute to the development of scientific solutions with a direct impact on our global community.”

ICSEC23 also recognized several delegates through the Young Investigator Awards in computational science, sponsored by QEERI. An award judging committee was formed from national and international computational specialists covering the broad spectrum of disciplines such as ICT, materials science, biology and machine learning. First place was awarded to Angelin Philip from HBKU. Texas A&M at Qatar student to Byanne Malluhi won second place and third place was awarded to Amal Bouzid from University of Sharjah (UAE). The awards were presented by Dr. Fadwa El-Mellouhi, QEERI senior scientist and member of ICSEC23 organizing and program committee. 
In the poster competition, Fatima Ahmad from Sidra Medicine and Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Saifeldeen Abed Alrhman from New York University Abu Dhabi won first and second place respectively.

Texas A&M at Qatar is at the vanguard of high-performance computing (HPC) and in 2023, the branch campus celebrated 15 years of HPC. Since the branch campus’ research computing group was established, the group has accumulated more than 300 million CPU hours execution time, and more than 120 scientists and researchers across the country using the HPC resources and benefitting from the research computing skills of Texas A&M at Qatar experts.