Scientist who developed quantum simulation method wins ORNL’s top science award
Paul Kent, a computational nanoscience researcher in Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Computing and Computational Science Directorate, received the ORNL Director’s Award for Outstanding Individual Accomplishment in Science and Technology. The award recognizes Kent’s leadership in quantum simulation development and application on high-performance computing platforms to help solve major scientific problems.
The Director’s Awards were presented during a livestreamed ceremony by ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia on Friday. The lab’s top awards concluded a two-week period in which category winners were announced daily to laboratory staff. The awards are typically presented at an Awards Night event hosted by UT-Battelle, the management and operating contractor of ORNL for the Department of Energy.
Kent received the lab’s top science and technology award “for exemplary leadership in the development of quantum Monte Carlo methods on high-performance computing platforms and applying them to major problems of high scientific and technologic relevance.” He also won the Research Leadership award.
Kent’s research is focused on predicting and explaining the properties of materials using computer simulation. He directs DOE’s Center for Predictive Simulation of Functional Materials and leads the development of the QMCPACK application — high-performance quantum Monte Carlo code for computing the electronic structure of atoms, molecules and solids — as part of DOE’s Exascale Computing Project.
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