Prasanna Balaprakash

Bio

Since March 2023, I am leading Oak Ridge National Laboratory's  Artificial Intelligence Initiative, wherein I direct laboratory research, development and application of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to solve problems of national importance. I seek to deliver foundational, scalable, and applied AI/ML capabilities supporting Oak Ridge National Laboratory's broad mission and provide world-class solutions in computer and computational science, neutron science, materials science, biology and health science, nuclear engineering, isotopes, manufacturing, energy, and climate science.

My research interests span the areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning, optimization, and high-performance computing. My research focuses on the design and development of foundational and scalable data science algorithms to model and optimize complex systems in scientific and engineering domains.

I am a recipient of U.S. Department of Energy 2018 Early Career Award. I lead the AI area in RAPIDS2: A SciDAC Institute for Computer Science, Data, and Artificial Intelligence. I lead the research and development of DeepHyper, a scalable automated machine learning package for DOE leadership-class systems.

Previously,

• 2020--2023: R&D Group Leader and Computer Scientist, MCS & LCF Divisions, Argonne National Laboratory
• 2017--2020: Computer Scientist, MCS & LCF Divisions, Argonne National Laboratory
• 2017--2023: Fellow, Northwestern-Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering, Northwestern University
• 2014--2018: Fellow, Computation Institute, University of Chicago
• 2014--2017: Assistant Computer Scientist, MCS & LCF Divisions, Argonne National Laboratory
• 2010--2013: Postdoc, MCS Division, Argonne National Laboratory
• 2009--2010: Chief Technology Officer, Mentis SA, Brussels, Belgium

I received my PhD in 2010 from CoDE-IRIDIA, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, where I was a recipient of Marie Skłodowska-Curie and F.R.S-FNRS Aspirant fellowships from the the European Commission and the Belgian-French Community's National Fund for Scientific Research, respectively.
 

Education

• Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, Computer Science, Ph.D., 2010
• Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, Computer Science, Master of Advanced Studies, 2005
• Otto von Guericke - Universität Magdeburg, Germany, Computer Science, M.S., 2004
• Periyar University, India, Computer Science, Bachelor of Engineering, 2002