2024 GMiS Luminaries

Education:  PhD candidate in Data Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee; Masters in Computational Science, Florida State University; Bachelors in Mathematics/Physics, Reed College 

At the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), Verónica Melesse Vergara has made remarkable contributions to high-performance computing (HPC).  Her work has been instrumental to the testing and acceptance of the Summit and Frontier supercomputers, two of the most advanced high performance computing systems in the world. Her strong work ethic and technical abilities have been recognized by her organization and the wider HPC community.  In less than a decade, she has risen from individual contributor to Group Leader of the System Acceptance and User Environment group to Section Head of HPC Operations.

Verónica’s proven to be a pivotal figure at Oak Ridge who provides robust technical support and fosters an environment where cutting-edge science thrives, and she’s shown tremendous aptitude managing diverse teams, coordinating complex testing protocols, and facilitating the integration of the supercomputers into the scientific community.  Her ongoing doctoral studies in Data Science and Engineering have significantly impacted various research domains, including climatology, AI-driven structural biology, and systems biology. Her work has demonstrated versatility and expertise, and time and again she’s exhibited the ability to navigate complex scientific problems and provide innovative solutions, greatly enhancing research capabilities in the process. 

Verónica has also showcased her exceptional leadership and management skills, guiding her Oak Ridge team through challenging projects and fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment. She possesses a strong commitment to mentoring and supporting underrepresented groups in STEM, evidenced by her involvement in initiatives such as the Pathways to Computing Internship Program, which she directs. 

In 2022, Verónica received the Technical Leadership award from the Standard Evaluation Corporation for contributions to the team that developed and published the SPEChpc 2021 Benchmark suite, the first of its kind in the industry.  

Additional awards, including the 2023 Knox News 40 Under 40 Award and multiple Cray User Group Best Paper Awards, are testament to her outstanding achievements and dedication to her field that not only advance the frontiers of computational science but also inspire the next generation of Hispanic STEM  professionals. 

Verónica served as acceptance testing lead for Frontier, Oak Ridge’s flagship supercomputer and the first ever to break the exascale barrier.  Verónica led a team of over 25 technicians and researchers to ensure the Frontier system – the world’s fastest supercomputer – could support scientific workloads from a wide range of programs in   the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science portfolio.