Webinars

Webinar series - March 3rd 2025 (12:00 AST (Sydney time))

Registration: https://anu.zoom.us/meeting/register/_EjRMNQ3QoCtzBtzzt8KdA

Speaker: Dr. Giuseppe Barca, University of Melbourne

Bio: A/Prof. Giuseppe Barca is a leading expert in high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), and digital chemistry, with a distinguished track record in developing computational methods that push the boundaries of molecular modelling and in silico drug discovery. His research integrates HPC and AI-driven techniques with computational quantum mechanics to accelerate chemical research and development, enabling predictive capabilities that rival physical experiments.

From 2018 to 2023, Barca led Australia's only contribution to the US Dept. of Energy's Exascale Computing Project (ECP), specifically the GAMESS ECP initiative, which developed advanced computational chemistry software for the first exascale supercomputer, Frontier. This effort involved intercontinental collaborations with major institutions such as Georgia Tech, Argonne, Oak Ridge, and Ames National Labs, and industry partners like NVIDIA, Intel, AMD, and Cray. In parallel, he led the Pawsey Centre for Extreme-scale Readiness (PaCER) project, which advanced Australia's high-performance molecular modelling capabilities.

Between 2020 and 2022, his team set four world records in quantum chemical modelling, utilizing over 27,000 GPUs on the Summit supercomputer and 37,000 GPUs on Frontier. In 2024, his team was awarded the ACM Gordon Bell Prize—regarded as the 'Nobel' of high-performance computing—for enabling the first quantum-accurate simulations of biomolecular systems and achieving the first-ever exaflop-scale computation in double-precision floating point.

In 2023, his research led to the founding of QDX Technologies, a deep-tech company that leverages quantum chemistry, HPC and AI for drug discovery. As co-founder and Head of Research, he oversees QDX's research operations in Singapore, Melbourne, and Canberra, driving innovation in computational drug discovery and molecular design. A/Prof. Barca's contributions have been widely recognized, with his work being adopted across academia and industry for the development of novel therapeutics, catalysts, and advanced materials. He was named one of Australia's Top 250 Researchers for 2024 by The Australian for his impactful research and significant citation count.