Resource Request for Junior Researchers (Systems Engineering) Support for Social Sciences Research Computing
PI: Lindsay Wells
Purpose:
This proposal requests Junior Researchers to assist the ICDS Special Projects Team with the design and development of research computing solutions tailored to the needs of social science researchers. While we currently operate a robust HPC cluster, many emerging research workflows in the social sciences require computing environments that fall outside the traditional HPC model.
Background & Motivation:
Social science research increasingly relies on computational methods — from survey analysis and GIS to machine learning and large-scale text mining. However, these workflows often demand interactive, datacentric environments (e.g., RStudio, JupyterHub, shared storage, virtualized infrastructure), not batchscheduled HPC clusters. Faculty in these disciplines need support identifying and implementing infrastructure that supports their specific research requirements.
To respond to this growing need, we need a team dedicated to engaging with researchers, evaluating existing and external solutions, and coordinating implementation with vendors and internal IT/Engineering teams.
People Resource Request:
1 – 2 Junior Researchers:
• Engage with faculty in social sciences/SSRI to understand their computational research needs
• Gather and document functional and technical requirements
• Evaluate infrastructure options (on-premises – both ICDS and Penn State IT, virtualized, cloudbased, hybrid)
• Aid in the design of research computing environments that reflect identified needs
• Coordinate with vendors, Penn State IT, other institutions, and ICDS Technical Team to implement solutions
• Ensure proposed designs align with institutional policies and long-term support models
Justification:
Without this support, efforts to support social science research computing will remain fragmented and reactive. Dedicated engineering effort is necessary to proactively design coherent, scalable, and researcher-aligned solutions — avoiding ad hoc deployments that are difficult to maintain or support. This role will serve as a critical bridge between research domains, infrastructure, and support services.
Expected Outcomes:
• A requirements-driven design plan for a research computing platform tailored to the social sciences
• Engagement model for faculty consultations and solution co-design
• Pilot deployment of a research environment
• Long-term roadmap for sustainable non-HPC infrastructure support
Timeline:
- Initial design and faculty engagement: 3 months
- Prototype implementation and evaluation: 3-6 months