Board members
Updated:
Viktoriia Baibakova
President
Viktoriia Baibakova is a computational scientist specializing in materials science and AI-driven research. During her PhD, she conducted research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, interned at Toyota Research Institute, and taught X-ray diffraction at both undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2025, she joined ORNL as a postdoctoral research associate, where she leads Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence initiatives within the Energy Storage and Conversion Manufacturing Group. Viktoriia works on machine learning, large language models, and AI-guided synthesis to accelerate the discovery and optimization of novel materials for national-scale energy solutions. With a strong command of computational tools, scientific programming, and data-driven workflows, Viktoriia also excels in translating complex scientific insights into accessible formats for diverse audiences and collaborative innovation.
Rashika Gupta
Vice President
Rashika Gupta is a postdoctoral researcher in the Scalable Engineering Applications Group within the Computational Sciences and Engineering Division. She received her PhD in physics from University of Kentucky, where she performed simulations for the UCNA+ experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Her current research focuses on developing the Monte Carlo-based radiation transport codes to improve detector simulations and meet the increasing computational demands of high-energy physics experiments. Beyond research, she enjoys badminton and board games, exploring coffee shops, hiking, and chasing sunsets.
Emily Herron
Secretary
Emily Herron is a postdoctoral research associate in the Analytics & AI Methods at Scale Group in the National Center for Computational Science. Her current research focuses on machine learning at scale in the areas of neural architecture search, large language models, trustworthiness, and scientific applications. She completed her PhD in Data Science & Engineering from the Bredesen Center at the University of Tennessee, where she researched improving the stability of multi-objective differentiable neural architecture search algorithms.
Ralph Bulanadi
New Hire Chair
Ralph Bulanadi is a postdoctoral research associate working in the Center for Nanophase Materials Science, where he integrates autonomous experiments into scanning probe microscopy to uncover new physics. He previously studied at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, and the University of New South Wales in Australia. As New Hire Chair, he acts as an initial point-of-contact for new postdoctoral researchers and works to welcome new members into the postdoctoral community.
Luis Caicedo Torres
Research Co-Chair
Luis Caicedo Torres is a postdoctoral researcher in the Modern Nuclear Instrumentation and Control group. He studies the applications of scientific machine learning for anomaly detection as well as computer vision models for object tracking and 3D image reconstruction. He received his PhD in Mathematics from Florida International University where he studied nonlocal operator theory with focus on nonlocal in time operators within the context of quantum systems. He is excited about the prospect of making models that are more explainable and applicable in the physical sciences leveraging mathematical theory. Outside of work, Luis enjoys time with loved ones, volunteering at his local church, running, and gaming.
Qixing (Jason) Wang
Research Co-Chair
Qixing (Jason) Wang is a postdoctoral research associate in the Transportation Analytics and Decision Sciences Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His research focuses on transportation system optimization, artificial intelligence, and transportation economics. He develops data-driven and agent-based models to evaluate network performance, traveler behavior, and policy impacts under emerging mobility technologies. Prior to joining ORNL, he worked as a transportation modeler and analyst, contributing to nationwide managed lane and toll road studies across major U.S. corridors. He is dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary research that integrates transportation engineering, data science, and economics to promote smarter and more equitable mobility systems.
Aaron Welch
Social & Well-being Co-Chair
Aaron Welch is a postdoctoral research associate in the Quantum Communications and Networking group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He graduated from the University of Houston with a PhD in computer science. His specialties include high-performance computing and parallel programming models, memory and network technologies, and relational database systems. Past research contributions have had a significant focus on optimizing Partitioned Global Address Space (PGAS) languages and libraries. Aaron's experience includes contributions to the success of the OpenSHMEM specification and its reference implementation, as well as the Unified Communication X (UCX) project. He has also explored the application of PGAS technologies in data analytics and the Python ecosystem, as well as investigated a novel semi-automated method for combining static and dynamic analysis on arbitrary code bases. Aaron has published several papers in OpenSHMEM and has made significant contributions to the PGAS community.
Hunor Csala
Social & Well-being Co-Chair
Hunor Csala is a postdoctoral research associate in the Multiscale Materials Group. He earned his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah, where he conducted research at the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute. During his doctoral studies, he also worked as a graduate research assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Hunor’s research lies at the intersection of scientific machine learning and computational physics, with a focus on developing large-scale AI models for complex fluid dynamics problems. He has applied neural networks and classical machine learning methods to nonlinear dimensionality reduction, denoising, and reduced-order modeling, particularly in cardiovascular flow applications. He also has experience in high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulations for both biomedical and industrial systems, including blood flow and laser welding. Hunor's long-term goal is to unify data-driven and first-principles models to accelerate discovery in multiscale, multiphysics systems.
Chih-Hsuan (Doris) Hung
Outreach Chair
Chih-Hsuan (Doris) Hung is a postdoctoral research associate in the Multiscale Materials Group. She earned her PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington. Her research centers on computational modeling of lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries across scales. Doris employs physics-based electrochemical models to study how electrode designs and operating conditions influence the mass transport and redox reaction mechanisms within battery cells. Her previous work has focused on designing advanced lithium-ion battery electrode structures for fast charging in electric vehicles. She is currently investigating degradation mechanisms in sodium-ion batteries and how they scale with different cell interconnection strategies to impact the performance of megawatt-hour energy storage systems for grid applications. Outside of work, Doris enjoys learning international recipes and making traditional Taiwanese pastries.
Jinping Xue
Communications Chair
Jinping Xue is an environmental geochemist and postdoctoral researcher in the Environmental Sciences Division, specializing in trace metal biogeochemistry. His research investigates the geochemical and microbial processes controlling speciation, transformation, and flux of trace metals in terrestrial and aquatic systems. Over the past decade, he has gained extensive academic and research experience across China, Canada, France, Chile, and the United States. He is committed to advancing environmental geochemistry through interdisciplinary collaboration, mentoring future scientists, and fostering diversity and inclusion in academia.
Jihoon Chung
Sponsorship & Budget Chair
Jihoon Chung is a postdoctoral research associate in the Electrification and Energy Infrastructures Division. His research focuses on cross-domain interoperability using semantic web technologies, integration of Building Information Modeling and Internet of Things, schema enhancement, and specialized tool development. He holds a PhD in architectural sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he developed web-based digital twin platforms for monitoring indoor environments and occupant behavior. Previously, he was a research affiliate at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and an Intern at Autodesk Research.
Moody Altamimi
Advisor
Moody Altamimi is the founding director for the Office of Research Education (ORE) at ORNL. ORE supports ORNL’s aspiration to be the world’s premier R&D institution by fostering an inclusive ecosystem for thriving research careers, ensuring impactful student experiences, increasing recognition of our staff for their impact, and facilitating strategic engagement with consortia and universities, enhancing lab-wide diversity efforts and future workforce development.