Tackling the Hidden Costs of Computational Science

Title:
Tackling the Hidden Costs of Computational Science: GREENER Principles for Environmentally Sustainable Research

Abstract:
From genetic studies and astrophysics simulations to AI, scientific computing has enabled amazing discoveries and there is no doubt it will continue to do so. However, the corresponding energy usage and environmental impacts are a growing concern in light of the urgency of the climate crisis, so what can we all do about it? Tackling this issue and making it easier for scientists to engage with sustainable computing is what motivated the Green Algorithms project. Through the prism of the GREENER principles for environmentally sustainable science, we will discuss what we learned along the way, how to estimate the impact of our work and what levers scientists and institutions have to make their research more sustainable. We will also debate what hurdles exist and what is still needed moving forward.

Bio:
Dr Loïc Lannelongue is a Research Associate in Biomedical Data Science in the Heart and Lung Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, UK, and the Cambridge-Baker Systems Genomics Initiative. He leads the Green Algorithms project, an initiative promoting more environmentally sustainable computational science. His research interests also include radiogenomics, i.e. combining medical imaging and genetic information with machine learning to better understand and treat cardiovascular diseases. He is a Software Sustainability Institute Fellow, a Post-doctoral Associate at Jesus College, Cambridge, and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.