CSUN’s Dr. Wayne Smith Appointed to National Research Computing Committee
CSUN lecturer Dr. Wayne Smith has been appointed to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support (ACCESS) Researcher Advisory Committee, becoming the first faculty member ever selected for this national body. His appointment places CSUN and institutions like it at the center of conversations shaping the future of U.S. research computing.
This committee plays a pivotal role in guiding how high-performance computing (HPC) resources are allocated across the country. Members advise on training priorities, domain-specific resource distribution, and how to ensure that minority serving institutions and emerging research universities like CSUN are fully included in national cyberinfrastructure initiatives.
The committee supports programs such as ACCESS, which provides free access to advanced computing systems, storage, training, and services, allowing researchers and educators to scale projects far beyond the limits of their local hardware.
“Everybody in this world wants to work on something where they know that they can make a contribution.“
How ACCESS Affects Research
Many CSUN faculty and students reach a point where their research needs exceed what even a well-equipped desktop or laptop can handle. Extra RAM, 50 terabyte thunderbolt USB, and a couple of GPUs can help, but for some projects, they still are not enough.
Dr. Smith recently mentored an undergraduate chemistry student who was modeling molecular dynamics. Running the simulation on a personal machine meant waiting three months for results, which was an entire summer for one run. By using national computing resources such as the National Research Platform and NSF ACCESS, that same simulation can be completed in as little as two weeks. This shift dramatically accelerates research timelines and allows for deeper experimentation.
Broader Vision and Impact
As a committee member, Dr. Smith is committed to expanding equitable access to advanced computing for faculty and students across every discipline, not only the computational sciences. He emphasizes that high-performance computing supports long-term faculty development while empowering students to engage in hands-on research that builds future ready skills.
Research at teaching-focused campuses like CSUN plays an important role in national innovation. The more that CSUN faculty develop a national reputation, the more the campus, and the CSU system benefit, especially in areas such as AI, HPC and CI, and quantum computing.
To learn more about the ACCESS program and how it can support your work, visit the NSF ACCESS webpage.