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Resources

GRC runs research computing systems and shared tools. This guide brings together the infrastructure members use, access through funded projects, and the ways students take part in the work.

12 resources

Computing at GRC

Local systems for building research software, studying performance, and testing I/O and networking.

Members only

Ares research cluster

Ares is GRC's local platform for systems development, performance studies, and I/O experiments. Its compute nodes combine three local storage tiers with shared storage and an Ethernet network that supports RDMA.

AccessArrange an account with the cluster administrator. Use Slurm to schedule compute workloads; the login node is for editing and job submission.

Hardware specifications

Compute nodes
32 Lenovo ThinkSystem SR630
Master node
Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650
Processors
Intel Xeon Silver 4114
Total cores
660 cores, 1,320 threads across the rack
Compute-node memory
48 GB DDR4
Master-node memory
96 GB DDR4
Shared storage
48 TB RAID-5
Node-local storage
250 or 256 GB NVMe, 512 GB SATA SSD, and 1 TB SATA HDD
Network
40 Gbps Ethernet with RoCE

HEC cluster

Members only

HEC supports GRC experiments in InfiniBand networking and remote direct memory access (RDMA).

Hardware specifications
Compute nodes
16 Sun Fire X2200
Total cores
128
Memory per node
16 GB
Storage
5 TB RAID-5
Network
InfiniBand with Mellanox InfiniHost III Ex adapters

AccessContact the center to discuss availability for a research project.

Beyond the local cluster

Funded projects connect GRC researchers with external systems and supercomputers. Access depends on the project, its allocation, and the facility's policies.

Computing through DeepIO

Project allocation required

External computing and supercomputer access through DeepIO supports scientific AI training, inference, and I/O research.

AccessAccounts and access are arranged through the funded project and the facility's allocation policies.

Related research

Computing through DOE Genesis

Project allocation required

GRC researchers access external systems through DOE Genesis work. Portus is led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; SPOTTER-AI is led by Argonne National Laboratory.

AccessAccess follows each project's agreements and facility policies. Contact the project team about participation.

Related research

Chameleon Cloud

Project allocation required

A reconfigurable bare-metal testbed for systems research and reproducible experiments.

AccessUse requires an approved allocation and a facility account.

DeltaAI

Project allocation required

NCSA's GPU-focused system supports GRC research in AI workloads, high-performance I/O, and systems benchmarking through ACCESS allocations.

AccessConfirm the allocation and account requirements with the project team before using the system.

Aurora

Project allocation required

Argonne National Laboratory's Intel GPU-based exascale system for scientific computing.

AccessAccess depends on the project's facility allocation and account approval.

Frontier

Project allocation required

Oak Ridge National Laboratory's AMD-based exascale system for scientific computing.

AccessAccess depends on the project's facility allocation and account approval.

Working together

Shared spaces for research discussions, software development, and documentation.

GRC Zulip

Members only

Research discussions and project coordination happen in GRC's member Zulip organization.

AccessMembers receive an invitation through the center. Project-specific chat links are listed on the relevant project pages.

GRC GitHub organization

Public repositories

The grc-iit organization hosts research software, shared development tools, and documentation maintained by GRC.

AccessPublic repositories are available to readers and contributors. Members arrange repository permissions with the maintainers.

Tools for members

Internal services and development tools support the day-to-day work of the center.

Gnosis Virtual Office

Members onlyBeta

A shared workspace for member research and coordination. The Gnosis Virtual Office is in beta on private infrastructure.

AccessMembers only. Access is arranged internally through the center.

Research and development tools

Members only

Members use collaborative LaTeX writing tools, AI coding assistants, and the HPC software development stack.

AccessAsk the center about available accounts and subscriptions. Tutorials cover tool setup and use.

Arrange access

Members arrange computing accounts and collaboration invitations through the center. For external systems, start with the relevant project team to confirm the allocation and account requirements.

Visiting researchers and collaborators can contact GRC with a project description and affiliation. Cloud accounts, credits, and tool subscriptions depend on project agreements and available programs.

For students

Future opportunities

Research at GRC combines systems work, mentoring, and participation in the research community. Explore the pathways below and talk with a potential advisor about a project that fits your interests.

Research pathways

Doctoral research

Doctoral students investigate high-performance computing, storage systems, and data-intensive applications through GRC's active projects.

Research combines coursework, independent systems work, publication, and open-source software development. Students present results to the research community and collaborate with national laboratories through funded projects.

Research areas

Memory System Optimization

Research into heterogeneous memory management and AI-memory co-design for computing architectures.

  • Heterogeneous memory management
  • AI-memory co-design
Data-Intensive Computing

Research into data placement, workflow optimization, and performance modeling for data-intensive applications.

  • Data placement
  • Workflow optimization
  • Performance modeling
System Optimization

Research into resource scheduling, performance prediction, and anomaly detection for complex computing systems.

  • Resource scheduling
  • Performance prediction
  • Anomaly detection

Master's thesis research

Master's students pursue focused systems projects within active GRC research. Thesis work may involve profiling, prototyping, benchmarking, or extending a research system.

A thesis may develop into a conference or workshop paper. The scope and research goals are defined with an advisor.

Research areas

I/O Optimization
  • Application-level I/O performance tuning
Performance Analysis
  • Profiling tools
  • Performance prediction

Undergraduate research

Undergraduates contribute to benchmarking, research software, documentation, and data analysis while working with graduate researchers and faculty advisors.

  • Summer research when funding is available, including NSF REU supplements.
  • Department research projects for Illinois Tech students working with graduate researchers.
  • Senior design capstones in high-performance computing and storage.
  • Summer internships involving benchmarking and software development.

Advising and mentorship

Students work with one or two faculty advisors. Research faculty and research software engineers provide additional mentorship.

Weekly advising meetings and group research discussions help shape a project and review progress. Agentic AI workshops, practice talks, and career advising support work beyond the immediate research problem.

Funded projects and co-authored publications connect students with national laboratories, universities, and visiting researchers.

Funding and research support

Research assistantships and conference travel support depend on project funding and availability. Discuss support with a potential advisor when planning your research.

Active researchers can use the center's computing infrastructure and project-based external systems. The Student Resources Hub lists fellowships, awards, and internships beyond GRC.

Sharing your research

The publication record includes student work at SC, HPDC, IPDPS, CCGrid, CLUSTER, ICS, and ICPP; in PDSW, eScience, and SC workshops; and in journals including IEEE TPDS, ACM TOS, JCST, and IJHPCA.

Browse publications by author to find student work. Completed dissertations are available through the Illinois Tech Library, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, and individual team profiles.

Begin a conversation

All advertised GRC roles are currently closed. Prospective students can still introduce their interests for future opportunities.

  1. Read the project portfolio and publication record to identify a research direction.
  2. Find potential advisors in the Team Directory.
  3. Contact the center with your research interests, background, and the projects you would like to explore.

Keep learning

Use the tutorials for practical setup, Studio to explore work in progress, and Articles for ideas and research perspectives.