Ecosystem for Research Networking Summit 2026

The ERN Summit 2026
April 22, 2026  12PM – 5PM ET
Virtual Event 

Beyond Resources: Integrating AI, Quantum, and the Workforce of the Future

The Ecosystem for Research Networking (ERN) Summit welcomes the scientific and cyberinfrastructure research community to gather together with industry, domain researchers, cyberinfrastructure professionals, and federal government agency representatives to share information, insights and experiences regarding the impacts that  advanced technologies, Quantum and AI, and workforce development are having on scientific advancement.

Agenda
Presentations
Speaker/Panelist Biographies

Keynote

“Heterogeneous Quantum–Classical Computing: Scaling Through Integration”

Masoud Mohseni, Ph.D., Senior Distinguished Technologist, Director of HPE Quantum, Hewlett Packard Labs.

As quantum computing matures, its success will depend on seamless integration with classical high-performance computing, AI, and advanced research networks. This keynote explores the shift toward heterogeneous quantum–classical systems and the critical role of horizontal integration in enabling scale, usability, and impact.  

Using the Quantum Scaling Alliance as a case study, the talk highlights how cross-sector collaboration, spanning academia, big tech, and quantum startups, can accelerate progress in research and workforce development while reducing fragmentation.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Presentation

Summit 26 Co-Chairs 
Forough Ghahramani, Ed.D., Vice President for Research & Innovation, NJEdge
Maureen Dougherty, Ecosystem for Research Networking

Barr von Oehsen, Ph.D., Executive Director Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center

Panel 1: Building Sustainable Advanced Technologies: Industry, Academic, and National Lab Collaborations

Explore how industry, universities, national labs, and startups are partnering to accelerate AI and quantum innovation while building experiential workforce pathways.

Presentations

Moderator/Panelist:  Sandra Gesing, Ph.D., Executive Director, US-RSE, Senior Researcher at San Diego Supercomputing Center, UCSD

Panelists: 

  • Benjamin (Ben) Brown, Ph.D., Director, Facilities Division (Research Computing, Network, & Data Infrastructure), Advanced Scientific Computing Research, The U.S. Department of Energy [invited]
  • Monica Van Dieren, Ph.D., Sr. Technical Marketing Engineer, Quantum and HPC, NVIDIA
  • Parag Deotore,Ph.D., Chen-Luan Family Faculty Development Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Associate Professor, Applied Physics,  University of Michigan

Panel 2: Democratizing Access: National Resources and Regional Initiatives

The panel examines national platforms and regional ecosystems that are expanding equitable access to the advanced infrastructure required by advanced technologies. Panelists will discuss federated models, hybrid workflows, and collaborative frameworks that enable broader participation in research and education.

Presentations

Moderator/Panelist: Barr von Oehsen, Ph.D., Executive Director, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center

Panelists: 

  • Stephen Deems, Director of Research Infrastructure Operations, Internet2
  • Amy Apon, , Ph.D., Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, Program Director,
    National Science Foundation
  • William L. Miller, Ph.D., Senior Director for Research Computing and Data, Scientific Computing and Imaging (SCI) Institute & Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC), University of Utah

Panel 3:  Research Data Management in the AI Era

The panel will discuss how governance, metadata standards, compliance, and secure data stewardship underpin reproducible advanced research and drive demand for new data management competencies.

 Moderator: Jim Griffioen, Ph.D. Professor of Computer science, The Pigman College of Engineering, Director, Center for Computational Sciences, University of Kentucky 

Panelists: 

  • Chris Simmons, Ph.D., Scientist in Residence, Cambridge Computer
  • Miron Livny, Ph.D., Professor of Computer Science, Chief Technology Officer and Principal Scientist at Core Computational Technology of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, Director of the UW Center for High Throughput Computing (CHTC) and the Software Assurance Marketplace, the Technical Director of the Open Science Grid (OSG), University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Ilkay Altinas, Ph.D., Chief Data Science Officer, San Diego Supercomputer Center, UC San Diego 

We wish to thank all our Summit 2026 participants for your questions and insights  during  this year's meeting.
Want to hear about other ERN  meetings and opportunities? Email info@ern.ci to be added to the ERN mailing list.

The ERN Steering Committee

  • Maureen Dougherty, Ecosystem for Research Networking, Summit Program Co-Chair
  • Forough Ghahramani, NJEdge, Inc., Summit Program Co-Chair
  • John Goodhue, MGHPCC
  • Vasant Honavar, Pennsylvania State University
  • Florence Hudson, Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub
  • Carrie Rampp, Franklin & Marshall College
  • Barr von Oehsen, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center
  • Jim Griffioen,University of Kentucky
  • Yifeng Zhu, University of Maine
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