Modeling Galactic Formations to Test World’s Fastest Supercomputer

Evan Schneider

When Oak Ridge National Laboratory prepared to deploy its newest supercomputer—the exascale Frontier supercomputer, the world’s first and fastest exascale supercomputer—it needed researchers to perform early test runs. It turned to Evan Schneider, assistant professor of physics and astronomy in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, who in 2022 became the third Pitt faculty member and first woman to be named a Packard Fellow, the first Pitt winner in 25 years. 

Her hydrodynamics code—called Cholla—models galaxy evolution and was one of eight research projects chosen to participate in helping to optimize simulation, data-intensive, and machine learning applications to help ready Frontier for prime time. This modeling work was recognized in 2022 with a Packard Fellowship Award, just the third for Pitt since 1988.

She is working to ensure that her code can take advantage of—and keep up with—Frontier. Cholla’s simulation will model star formation, supernova explosions, and other astrophysical phenomena that will help researchers better understand the fundamentals of galaxy formation, growth, and evolution.