Location: Room M3 – Melati Jr 4111 (Level 4)
Abstract: The introduction of the first Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) track at Supercomputing Asia (SCAsia) in 2022 marked a pivotal step towards recognising the essential role of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the high-performance computing (HPC) community and beyond. This inaugural track highlighted the “Why”—why diversity, equity, and inclusion matter, illustrating the benefits they provide to organisations, research endeavours, and individuals by fostering innovation, creativity, and improved outcomes.
In subsequent years, the focus shifted to the “How”—the strategies, policies, and actionable steps necessary to cultivate a truly diverse and inclusive environment, one that not only embraces difference but also leverages it to drive progress and equity.
At SCAsia 2025, we invite you to explore the “What”—what diversity, equity, and inclusion achieve in practical, measurable terms for researchers, organisations, and the broader HPC community. This track will delve into the tangible dividends emerging from diverse and inclusive environments, supported by data and real-world examples demonstrating how diverse teams outperform their counterparts in creativity, problem-solving, and productivity.
Join us to learn how a commitment to diversity and inclusion not only creates a more equitable and supportive workplace but also delivers exponential returns on investment—fostering groundbreaking research, driving innovation, and achieving sustained success in HPC and beyond.
Track Co-Chair:
- Ms Aditi Subramanya
- Ms Jana Makar
- Dr Emily Barker
[Invited Track]
Programme:
| Time | Session |
| 01:30pm – 02:00pm | Opening, Building Competitive Advantage in HPC
At SCAsia 2025, we invite you to explore the “What”—what diversity, equity, and inclusion achieve in practical, measurable terms for researchers, organizations, and the broader HPC community. This track will delve into the tangible successes emerging from diverse and inclusive environments, supported by data and real-world examples demonstrating how diverse teams outperform their counterparts in creativity, problem-solving, and productivity. Join us to learn how a commitment to diversity and inclusion not only creates a more equitable and supportive workplace but also delivers exponential returns on investment—fostering groundbreaking research, driving innovation, and achieving sustained success in HPC and beyond. – Ms Aditi Subramanya, Partner Engagement Manager, Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre |
| 02:00pm – 02:30pm | Advancing DEI in Research Software through the Research Software Engineering (RSEng) Asia Association Research software, including essential code, algorithms, and workflows developed in research, is integral to scientific discovery. The Research Software Engineering (RSEng) Asia Association, founded in 2021, promotes formal RSEng roles across Asia and supports a community of professionals in research software and adjacent HPC fields. While RSEs and the HPC community members are distinct, they often collaborate on advancing computing-intensive research. Through global partnerships, annual RSE Asia Australia unconferences, and DEI-focused initiatives, the association connects participants from across Asia and globally, empowers the RSE and HPC communities with diverse insights, fosters innovative problem-solving, and makes inclusive contributions to science. This talk will share insights into the RSE Asia Association’s journey, highlighting how DEI-focused initiatives are bridging gaps, fostering collaborations, and creating a more inclusive environment that drives progress in research software engineering across Asia. – Ms Jyoti Bhogal, Co-founder and Lead, Research Software Engineering (RSE) Asia Association |
| 02:30pm – 03:00pm | Diverse Pathways to a Career in Technology The road into tech is rarely linear, and my own journey is proof of the diverse opportunities available. From working with researchers and startups to optimising technology for efficiency, and eventually moving into government and IT to make science work for us, my career has been shaped by curiosity and a drive to enable others. My entry into high-performance computing (HPC) was a natural evolution of this path—first through geoscience, before realising the potential to support broader research communities. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible leaders, who have carved their own unconventional path in tech, proving that there’s no single formula for success. This talk will explore real-life examples of women who have forged unique careers in technology, highlighting the different ways we can contribute, innovate, and lead. By sharing these experiences, I hope to inspire others to embrace diverse pathways and seize opportunities that align with their passions. – Dr Carina Kemp, Principal Business Development Manager, Research, Amazon Web Services |
| 03:00pm – 03:30pm | Developing a Comprehensive Framework for Detecting Social Diversity in Large Language Models: A Computational Social Science Approach
LLMs are increasingly important in HPC applications, but concerns persist regarding their biases in shaping societal views on gender, aging, and minority groups. These biases, often arising from training data and processes, are typically handled by engineers through filtering or blocking mechanisms. However, research suggests that excessive filtering may diminish social diversity and inclusivity, reducing the breadth of opinions in LLM outputs. This study proposes a framework for enabling social scientists to assess how well LLMs reflect diversity and inclusivity. The framework includes confirming the distribution of key metrics from traditional social diversity surveys, generating virtual respondents that mirror real-world demographic and personality traits, and verifying response variability across different LLM personas. Statistical methods will then be applied to compare the output distributions of LLMs with actual survey data. To validate this approach, surveys from Taiwan and other Asian countries will be used as case studies. This framework is for evaluating whether LLM-generated content reflects real-world cultural diversity and for developing practical tools that foster interdisciplinary collaboration, allowing social scientists to assess and test LLM diversity more effectively. – Dr. Chia-lee Yang, Principle Engineer, National Center for High-Performance Computing, Taiwan – Dr. Yen-Jen Lin, Researcher, National Center for High-Performance Computing, Taiwan |
| 03:30pm – 04:00pm | Tea Break |
| 04:00pm – 04:30pm | Diversity in Numbers: The Significance of Partnerships in Driving Sustainable EDI Programmes Meaningful EDI changes occur only with sustained effort, but organisations often face roadblocks such as lack of resources and subject expertise. This is why holistic programming is at the heart of AMD Singapore’s EDI strategy. The company’s EDI roadmap is not only anchored by internal initiatives, but also through consistent programs with organisations such as Daughters of Tomorrow and United Women Singapore, as well as expansive partnerships with industry partners such as SWE@SG and SSIA. The keynote will delve into the company’s learnings on the significance of industry partnerships and insights into how different organizations can approach their own efforts. – Ms Pei Fern Ng, Senior Manager of Silicon Design Engineering, AMD |
| 04:30pm – 06:00pm | WHPC+ Australasia: From Inclusion to Impact The WHPC+ Australasia chapter was founded in 2019 and since then we have built a great community. In our next phase the chapter is focussing on how to support our partners to build diverse teams which will allow them to drive growth within their fields. The chapter committee will facilitate a discussion to investiage new programs to help our partners in their diversity and inclusion endeavours. – Dr Emily Barker, Senior HPC Engineer, The University of Western Australia |
| 06:00pm | Event Close |
