In 2019 Dr Debora Sijacki, Reader in Astrophysics and Cosmology at the Institute of Astronomy and Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom was awarded for her outstanding contributions to and impact on HPC in Europe.
As a computational cosmologist she has achieved numerous high-impact results in astrophysics based on numerical simulations on state-of-the-art supercomputers. She has developed several new numerical models and implemented them in massively parallel simulations.
An interesting example for her impact in computational science is the highly successful Illustris galaxy formation model where she was one of the key developers during her postdoctoral Hubble fellowship at Harvard University.
The main result of Illustris regards the fundamental role supermassive black holes play in shaping galaxy properties, based on seminal ideas she developed during her PhD studies at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany.
“Winning PRACE Ada Lovelace Award is not just an inspiration to me to always strive for the excellence in science, but is also a powerful message to many young women how HPC can help build successful careers.”
Debora Sijacki
Related: HPC supports first black hole image
A Science Node Interview with PRACE Ada Lovelace Award Winner Dr Debora Sijacki can be found here.