Shafaq Chaudhry
Shafaq Chaudhry, Ph.D., serves as the Director of Research Technology at the University of Central Florida. In this role, Dr. Chaudhry provides the strategic leadership and direction for the institution's investments in advanced research computing and data capabilities. She partners with other service providers at the university and nationally with programs such as the NSF-funded Cyberinfrastructure Center of Excellence, Trusted Cyberinfrastructure and Engagement and Performance Operations Center.
Dr. Chaudhry serves on the steering committee of Practice & Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC), an organization dedicated to advancing research computing as a field. She is also actively involved in Workforce Development efforts for research computing and data professionals under the Campus Research Computing Consortium (CaRCC). Passionate about uplifting women and minorities in STEM, she serves as the Central Florida regional coordinator for the Aspirations in Computing program of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT).
Previously, Dr. Chaudhry worked as a software engineer and a technology consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Unilever. Her teaching experience includes teaching graduate-level courses such as Compiler Construction Techniques and Object-Oriented Programming and undergraduate-level hands-on labs on Computing Fundamentals for Business and Introduction to Computer Science.
Dr. Chaudhry's research interests are in the areas of Workforce Development, Software-Defined Networking, public safety communications and wireless networks. She co-authored a recent paper "Understanding Factors that Influence Research Computing and Data Careers" that won Best Paper Award in the Workforce Development, Training, Diversity and Education track of PEARC'22 and the Phil Andrews Award for most impactful paper in the practice of research computing.