Computer Sciences PhD student Seth Ockerman has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP), which is a highly competitive program that provides funding and support for graduate students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. Ockerman says, “My research focuses on designing systems for large-scale data analysis, particularly on high performance computing platforms (HPC). Currently, I am exploring potential optimizations for vector databases on HPC systems.” His advisor, Shivaram Venkataraman, notes that “Seth already had research experience from his undergraduate studies, and he has made a strong start to his PhD at UW-Madison. His work explores measuring and alleviating critical bottlenecks that arise when executing data analytics workloads on HPC systems and the NSF GRFP award is a great recognition of his research potential.”
The goal of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and strength of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. The GRFP provides three years of support over a five-year fellowship period.
“I’m grateful to the NSF for their support, and to Shivaram for his continued mentorship,” says Ockerman. “I’m excited by what this fellowship will make possible and eager to build on my current research.”