Jack Dongarra

ACM Turing Award winner Dr. Jack Dongarra’s career in HPC began with his education in mathematics and computer science, culminating in a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico, where he was introduced to numerical linear algebra, a foundational field in HPC. 

Dongarra’s pivotal work at Argonne National Laboratory involved developing algorithms for the LINPACK library, which became a standard for measuring supercomputer performance. Dongarra told HPCwire this experience exposed him to the challenges and opportunities in scientific computing, motivating him to pursue a career dedicated to improving performance and efficiency of computational methods. 

His contributions at the University of Tennessee and ORNL bridged academic research and practical HPC applications, leading to the development of the LAPACK and ScaLAPACK libraries, as well as the creation of the famed Top500 list of supercomputers. 

Co-founding the Netlib repository with Eric Grosse, Dongarra democratized access to high-quality numerical software, fostering innovation within the scientific computing community. His extensive research and numerous publications have advanced numerical linear algebra and HPC, addressing key challenges in parallel computing, algorithm design, and performance optimization. 

Dongarra’s achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the ACM Turing Award in 2021. He is also the namesake of the ISC High Performance Jack Dongarra Early Career Award and Lecture Series. Beginning at ISC in 2023, the award and lectures commemorate his lifelong contributions to HPC and its community. 

Reflective of his visionary work and dedication to generations of researchers and practitioners, Dongarra has actively participated in leading conferences, collaborative research projects, and industry partnerships. His legacy continues to shape the field, driving advancements and fostering a skilled workforce capable of addressing complex computational challenges. 

“Reflecting on my journey, I would like to emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and staying abreast of technological advancements. My career demonstrates how a strong foundation in mathematics and computer science, combined with practical experience and a commitment to advancing computational methods, can lead to groundbreaking achievements in HPC,” he said.