Dr Robert C. Bell (Rob Bell)
Profile
Current Role
Position
CSIRO Advanced Scientific Computing (ASC)
Technical Services Manager
Bureau of Meteorology / CSIRO
High Performance Computing and Communications Centre (HPCCC)
Chief Technology Officer
Function
- The Chief Technology Officer supports the HPCCC operation, specialising
in areas such as scheduling.
- The ASC Technical Services Manager is responsible for the
delivery of corporate ASC services from the Docklands site to all
of CSIRO. This includes
taking responsibility for the systems services delivered to CSIRO
through the HPCCC.
Professional Interests
- Applied mathematics
- Geophysical fluid dynamics
- Atmospheric science
- Numerical analysis
- Scientific computing
- Computing services
- Benchmarking of computer systems
- High Performance Computing
- Storage facilities for scientific data
- Long-term management of data and information
Key Skills
- Fifteen years' scientific computing experience in support of
atmospheric sciences
- Management of computing facilities for scientific research since 1987
- Experience in running high performance computing systems since 1990
- Experience in running large-scale storage systems for scientific data
since 1991
- Demonstrated ability in the application of knowledge in areas of
applied mathematics, numerical analysis and programming, to build
and maintain large Fortran programs for scientific research
- Presentation and communication skills
Achievements
- Sole programming of the first computer model of the Quasi-biennial
oscillation (QBO) with Alan Plumb.
- Total redesign of a key program for studying atmospheric stability,
to provide two orders of magnitude performance improvement, and to
allow higher configurations to be run. This and other collaborative
work supported the work of a David Rivett medal-winning scientist
Jorgen Frederiksen.
- Implementation of the major recommendations of a five year plan
for computing at the Division of Atmospheric Research
- Member of the CSIRO Supercomputing Facilities Task Force in 1989
- Responsible for benchmarking systems for the CSIRO Supercomputing
Facilities Task Force in 1989
- Technical Management of CSIRO Supercomputing since 1990, including the
initiation of service in 1990, the transfer to a new site and system in 1992,
and the introduction of automation for large-scale storage facilities in 1993.
(The facility from 1992 to 1997 proved to be highly productive for
CSIRO users, because of the funding arrangements, the CSIRO and Cray
Research support staff, the Cray system's reliability, and because of
the closely coupled storage system.)
- Member of the Working Party for the establishment of the CSIRO and
Bureau of Meteorology High Performance Computing and Communications Centre
(HPCCC).
- Member of the Evaluation Committee for the HPC system for the
HPCCC.
- Member of the HPCCC Management Committee.
- Consultant to the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center, 2002,
2003.
Professional Qualifications
1971 BSc (Hons) Monash University, majoring in Applied Mathematics
1977 PhD Monash University.
Thesis title: "Quasi-Geostrophic Ocean Models"
Employment history Experience
2008- CSIRO ASC Technical Services Manager
2003-08 CSIRO HPSC Technical Services Manager
2003- HPCCC Chief Technology Officer
1997-2003 HPCCC Deputy Manager
1992-97 CSIRO Supercomputing Facility Managerp>
1990-92 CSIRO Supercomputing Support Manager
1987-90 CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research, Computing Group Leader
1983-84 Secondment to the UK Meteorological Office Forecasting Research Branch
1974-90 CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research, Scientific Support
1970-71 Commonwealth Meteorology Research Centre, Vacation Employment
1969-70 Commonwealth Meteorology Research Centre, Vacation Employment
1968-69 CSIRO Division of Meteorological Physics, Vacation Employment
1967-68 CSIRO Division of Meteorological Physics, Vacation Employment
c 1963, and 1966-67 C Bell and Son
Professional Affiliations
Member, Association for Computing Machinery (
ACM)
Member of the Royal Meteorological Society ( RMS)
Member, Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Inc. ( AMOS)
Other Roles
2009- Member of the SGI User Group Board
2009- Founder of the Data Migration Facility (DMF) User Group
2001-2002 Leader of the CMIS High Performance Computing Committee
1999- Member, Course Advisory Committee, Swinburne University Lilydale
1999-2003 Asia/Pacific Representative on the Cray User Group (CUG) Board of Directors
2001-2002 Chair of the CUG Communications and Data Management Special Interest Group
1995-1997 Chairman of the Occupational Health and Safety Committee for the
CSIRO Division of Information Technology
1993-1996 Chairman of the Cray User Group Australia
1994-1996 Asia/Pacific Representative on the Cray User Group Board of Directors
Education
1955-1960 Bentleigh West State School
1961-1966 Brighton High School
1967-1974 Monash University
Publications
Personal interests
Married, with three daughters, and three grandsons
Member of the leadership team of the English Speaking Congregation of
the Bentleigh and Korean Baptist Church, involved in
the music ministry.
Leader of the Bayside Singers
Past Secretary of Kilvington Girls' Grammar Board
Past Chairman of Kilvington Girls' Grammar School Council
Treasurer of the local Neighbourhood Watch (dormant)
Other interests include the weather, bird watching, map collecting, gardening,
conservation, family history, computers, current affairs, geography,
aviation, etc.
See my personal WWW hotlist for another view of my interests, and
links to many of the above.
Click here
Last updated: 2009-11-05 15:54:01+1100 Thu
