intRos: Research Computing

Intro to Research Computing - removing barriers.
ARC
HPC
Cloud
Authors
Affiliation

Dr. Stephen Lang

University of Exeter

Dr. M.D. Sharma

University of Exeter

Dr. Tom Horton

University of Exeter

Published

May 23, 2025

Modified

May 23, 2025

What is this about?

These workshops are a valuable opportunity for you to up-skill yourself with tools of the future — please do join us if you think these workshops might apply to you!

Why should I learn this?

“The revolution is here. Understanding how Research Computing works and being able to apply this to your work-stream could help your work and increase your impact. If you are all at sea with Research Computing then this is where to start.”

The key goals of these workshops are to remove barriers to people using Research Computing and up-skill our research community to be able to make better use of the facilities available.

OK, how do I sign-up?

The current sign-up period has closed now. However, please feel free to fill up this form to express your interest in these workshops and we will look into arranging additional sessions.

Day 1 - An Introduction to Research Computing

Outline: We will deliver “An introduction to Research Computing”, which will be followed by examples of specific case studies based on the research needs of those of you who filled in the questionnaire. To aid in developing ARC skillsets there will be a worked example given to attendees to work through in preparation for the second session.

Note

Skill level: Foundational to intermediate

Prerequisites: None

When and where: 0900-1300 10th June Exchange Red

Catering: Drinks and lunch provided.

Day 2 - Research Computing Case Studies and Problem Solving

Outline: Firstly, attendees will discuss best practices to overcome some of the challenges they identified in the earlier workshop. Secondarily, attendees will build upon the skills acquired within the self-learning exercise and use these skills to develop basics of two key types of research computing - virtual and high-performance for their specific research needs.

Note

Skill level: Foundational to intermediate

Prerequisites: 1) A laptop, and 2) Completion of the worked example provided in the first meeting.

When and where: 0900-1300 17th June Exchange Green

Catering: Drinks and lunch provided.

Additional Resources

Many respondents, especially early-career researchers, expressed a desire to improve their computing skills or learn how to use advanced reseach computing resources effectively.

Note
  • Check out our tips here!

  • Take advantage of online resources: Explore platforms like CornwallARC and ExeterARC for institution specific knowledge bases. Engage with discipline specific training sessions offered by ExeDataHub or CfRR - these are essential to gain hands-on experience with tools and techniques. Other online resources like Coursera, edX, or DataCamp can also be very useful for programming and data analysis learning.

  • Ask for Help: Join the ExeDataHub Ask for Help channel to ask questions, share knowledge, and learn from peers. Active engagement with this resource is essential for the community to thrive.

Acknowledgements

The inaugural set of workshops has been funded by a Researcher Led Initiative grant to Dr. Tom Horton, in collaboration with Dr. M.D. Sharma and Dr. Stephen Lang at the University of Exeter (Penryn Campus).