Rob van Nieuwpoort new professor of Efficient Computing and eScience
As of 1 October Rob van Nieuwpoort is the new professor of Efficient Computing and eScience at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS). Van Nieuwpoort brings with him a wealth of expertise: he is an expert in eScience, high performace computing and advanced algorithms.
Rob van Nieuwpoort was Director of Technology at the prestigious Netherlands eScience Center for many years. There he set up interdisciplinary research initiatives that put heavy demands on digital technology. He was also a professor at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).
eScience: digital technology in research
At LIACS, Van Nieuwpoort joins the Systems & security group. His main research interest is eScience. This promotes the use of digital technology in research. It brings together IT technology, data science, computer science, e-infrastructure and data and computationally intensive research in all disciplines, from physics to the humanities. In addition, Van Nieuwpoort is involved in high-performance computing and the development of advanced algorithms. His work on so-called ‘accelerators’ (such as the use of graphics cards for data processing) was a game-changer for computational efficiency of computers.
Green computing and supercomputers
Green computing, an increasingly important part of modern computing, is another aspect of Van Nieuwpoort's research. His work in this area reflects his commitment to sustainability, aiming to minimize the impact of computing technology on the environment.
He is also developing better ways to program super-powerful computers to make them easier to use and more effective. In this too, energy reduction is very important because using energy-efficient software increases the sensitivity of instruments in large scientific projects such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope, for example.
Research and education
Van Nieuwpoort is extremely pleased with his appointment: 'After ten years as director of technology at the Netherlands eScience Center, I am very much looking forward to focusing more on fundamental research while sharing my experience with a new generation of researchers and students.' Van Nieuwpoort would also like to increase the impact of computer science research on other disciplines and believes that scientists should also have a keen eye for the societal importance of their research. 'In my case that means, among other things, that I want to raise the sustainability of digital technology to a higher level.'