Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute

SCI is part of a new $24.5M National Science Foundation award led by the San Diego Supercomputer Center to expand the country's AI-ready data infrastructure via the National Data Platform. The team, which spans five universities, will connect data, computing, and AI resources to empower researchers and educators nationwide. 🌐⚡

SCI Part of a $24.5M NSF Award to Expand AI-Ready Data Infrastructure for U.S. - Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute University of Utah researchers will work with lead institution UC San Diego and others to expand a national platform connecting data, computing and AI resources to empower nationwide researchers and educators.   August 19, 2026 Read the original announcement from University of California San Diego....

🌟 SCI's One-U Responsible AI Initiative is excited to announce 10 new fellows, including three postdocs and our first-ever grad student cohort. These researchers will advance mental health workforce training, data center sustainability, drug development, stroke recovery, AI literacy in higher education, and more. Congrats!

Meet the postdoc fellows: https://rai.utah.edu/postdocs-july-2026/
Meet the grad student fellows: https://rai.utah.edu/inaugural-grad-student-fellows/

Redtail, an AI factory for the entire state of Utah, recently debuted on a list of the world's top supercomputers, ranking No. 159 for performance and No. 76 for energy efficiency.

The University of Utah–managed system comes online this summer and will expand access to advanced AI computing across the state, supporting research, education, workforce training, and innovation. SCI’s Center for High Performance Computing will operate Redtail and provide user enablement and support.

Redtail, Utah’s AI Factory Supercomputer, Ranks Among Fastest and Greenest Systems in the World - Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute The University of Utah returns to the global supercomputing rankings with Redtail, an AI factory designed to expand access to advanced computing across the state. Redtail ranked No. 159 for performance and No. 76 for energy efficiency on the Top500 list of supercomputers released in late June. The s...

💼 SCI is hiring a postdoctoral researcher and a graduate research assistant to expand the National Data Platform with tools for discovering and analyzing AI models used in scientific research publications. This work sits at the intersection of natural language processing, scholarly knowledge extraction, software engineering, data infrastructure, and human-centered discovery systems. Apply or share!

Postdoctoral researcher: https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/203962

Ph.D. student in AI research: https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/203978

Spurred by an already active wildfire season, Brenna Kelly, an incoming postdoctoral fellow with SCI’s One-U Responsible AI Initiative, wrote an opinion piece in The Salt Lake Tribune to call for stronger public health messaging around wildfire smoke.

“PM2.5 from wildfire smoke is up to 10 times more toxic to human health than PM2.5 from other sources (such as traffic)... As we begin the 2026 wildfire season, we should rethink our public health messaging. The AQI is valued for its simplicity, but wildfire smoke days may need to carry an additional warning.”

More on Kelly: https://rai.utah.edu/postdocs-dec-2025/

Read the piece: https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2026/06/25/voices-its-time-rethink-our/

Voices: It’s time to rethink our messaging around wildfire smoke and air quality “As we begin the 2026 wildfire season, we should rethink our public health messaging,” writes Brenna Kelly in an op-ed.

🧬 A research team led by SCI's Orly Alter used the mathematics of quantum mechanics to develop a new AI framework that improves cancer outcomes. This advancement in precision medicine can help doctors tailor treatments to a patient's entire molecular background—their millions to billions of biological features. Read more about the study, out this week in AIP Publishing Applied Physics Letters Quantum: https://bit.ly/sci-alter

🏆 Kudos to SCI's Martin Berzins for being named in Scientific Computing World's inaugural SCW75, which recognizes the top architects of scientific computing’s new era. Berzins focuses on how mathematical software, numerical algorithms, and analysis and parallel computing can solve challenging science and engineering problems in areas such as fluid dynamics, combustion, and atmospheric modeling.

Read more: https://bit.ly/sci-berzins

👏 Congrats to SCI's Andrew McNutt, who recently received the Johanna Beyer EuroVis Early Career Researcher Award!

The EuroVis Annual Conference distinction means McNutt has already made notable contributions to the field and is likely to make more. Specifically, it recognizes him for his outstanding contributions in critical visualization and programming interfaces, and for graphically augmenting domain-specific languages.

SCI’s Andrew McNutt Receives EuroVis Early Career Award - Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute Adapted from the European Association for Computer Graphics announcement The European Association for Computer Graphics this week named University of Utah Scientific Computing and Imaging (SCI) Institute assistant professor Andrew McNutt the recipient of its 2026 Johanna Beyer EuroVis Early Career R...

🌎 AI is a double-edged sword for the planet: it carries real environmental costs, but it can also help drive environmental progress.

During a panel co-hosted by University of Utah College of Nursing and SCI’s One-U Responsible AI Initiative, faculty explored what higher ed can do next. At the U, researchers and students are building more sustainable AI models and GPUs, using AI to improve environmental decision-making around water supply and green infrastructure, and encouraging civic participation.

What AI Costs the Planet and How Higher Ed Can Help - One-U Responsible AI Initiative June 5, 2026 Behind every AI prompt is a chain of physical infrastructure—from data centers and power grids to cooling systems, mined minerals, and discarded...

SCI recently partnered with Xinnor on a storage infrastructure upgrade that gives researchers faster, more reliable access for managing the massive datasets that power discovery. The upgrade strengthens the computing environment behind our data-intensive research. 🙌

Full case study:

Replacing an Aging PostgreSQL Backend with xiRAID at the SCI Institute, University of Utah | Case Studies | Xinnor The University of Utah Scientific Computing and Imaging (SCI) Institute is a global leader in applied, multidisciplinary computing research with real‑world impact. Founded in 1994, SCI brings together experts and students in computing, engineering, math, medicine, education, urban planning, enviro...