Dear Friends and Colleagues of the Midwest Big Data Hub:
I’d like to let you all know that I have recently accepted the position of VP for Economic Development and Innovation for the University of Illinois System, and will no longer be the Director of NCSA. As a result, after consulting with MBDH leadership, NSF, and U of IL officials, we have decided that it is the best interests of the hub that we pass the PI role to Prof. Bill Gropp.
Bill holds the Thomas M. Siebel Chair in Computer Science at UIUC and is the Interim Director for NCSA, with tremendous experience in many areas and applications of computational and data-enabled research and innovation. He will be a terrific leader for the MBDH, and, as the leader of NCSA, he will be able to support the development of the hub in ways that I am no longer able to do. Look for a note from Bill in an upcoming issue of the MBDH newsletter.
Meanwhile, I look forward to continuing as a member of our collaboration. I am really pleased to have been able to play a role in the development of the hub from its inception of couple of years ago, and to see it grow across many projects and collaborations throughout the midwest region, across the country, and internationally. I have high hopes for the future of the hub, and with Bill joining the team, and Melissa continuing to energize so many projects as the Executive Director, I think the MBDH is in great hands.
I hope to see you at an upcoming meeting, and I will continue to do what I can to help support your efforts.
Best,
Ed
EDWARD SEIDEL
Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign | Chicago | Springfield
Founder Professor of Physics, Professor of Astronomy
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign