Missouri S&T has selected a new director of Information Technology Research Support Solutions (ITRSS) within the division of Information Technology.

Buddy Scharfenberg has helped lead the S&T high-performance computing (HPC) environment team since 2013. His team built the current HPC environment at S&T, as well as the one at the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) and is helping lead the implementation of quantum computing at MU. Additionally, he has implemented four major super computing platforms including the Forge, Foundry, Hellbender and Mill.

Scharfenberg was selected over applicants from across the nation and comes highly recommended by many S&T research faculty.

“I am excited to elevate Buddy to this position where his work ethic, values, technical expertise and passion for S&T will help advance our research computing initiatives to establish S&T as a center of excellence in the Midwest for research computing,” says Barry Robbins, S&T’s chief information officer.

All research depends upon computing technologies. In the modern era, virtually all research in the scientific and engineering domains is dependent upon computation devices, large and small, linked and independent. The director of ITRSS will lead the high-performance computing and research support teams within S&T’s Division of Information Technology. This includes providing total technology support around a research effort, such as helping understand technology needs for grant proposals and supplying technology for grant awards.

“I see the immense potential that S&T has to shape the future of the world through technology, specifically through applied AI,” says Scharfenberg. “I am excited and honored to be a bigger part of the research projects which will turn the dreams of today into the reality of tomorrow.” Scharfenberg is set to graduate from S&T with a bachelor’s degree in computer science in May, and will pursue a master’s degree in computer science at S&T with a focus on artificial intelligence.