Professors about themselves: Torsten Hoefler
Assistant professor Torsten Hoefler leads the Scalable Parallel Computing Laboratory. His research areas include high-performance computing, performance modeling and parallel programming.
Professor Hoefler, what are your interests and hobbies outside of science?
Running and hiking mountains, fighting competitions.
What is your favourite insporational quote?
"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."
What would you do if you had one year of paid leave?
Write a good book.
If you weren't a scientist, what would you be?
Probably a student.
What is your guiding philosophy for running your lab and doing research?
It's most important that every team member works on a topic that he or she drives personally and that is interesting for them. Also, it's important to have a team in which everybody is happy to be part of that team. And hard work is necessary for great success.
Name a fun fact about your field or your research.
I have touched the five fastest (publicly known) computers on the planet in 2016.
What does diversity in computer science mean to you and why is it important?
That everybody has an equal chance for success and is only judged on his/her brilliance.
What's the impact of your research on the society?
High-performance computing is used in pretty much any part of modern society, from simulating water in diapers and Pringles chips on a conveyor belt up to ultra-sound jets and space rockets.