Program
21 minutes
People, knowledge, and the future of Canada’s digital research
Day 0 - Pre-conference #
Monday, May 26 (click to expand)
(3 hours)
Magic Castle Workshop
Registration form
Day 1 - Conference #
Tuesday, May 27 (click to expand)
(60 min)
(30 min)
(60 min)
Keynote - AI’s role in digital research, ethical considerations in AI adoption, or data-driven decision-making in research environments
Dr. Sidney Shapiro, Business Analytics Professor and AI Researcher at the University of Lethbridge
Artificial intelligence (and more recently, Generative AI) is rapidly transforming research across disciplines in Canada—shaping how studies are designed, how data is analyzed, and how knowledge is produced. This evolution is bringing about fundamental changes to research workflows, methods, and infrastructure. At the same time, it raises critical questions about how public research institutions can engage with AI meaningfully and sustainably, particularly in the context of growing disparities in digital research capacity.
This keynote will examine the current and emerging role of AI in Canadian research, with a focus on infrastructure challenges and strategic considerations. While private industry has advanced rapidly in developing generative AI technologies using vast computational resources, academic institutions face structural limitations that affect their ability to keep pace. Limited access to high-performance computing, specialized engineering expertise, and integrated systems continues to restrict what public institutions can build, implement, or study. As generative AI becomes both a method for research and a subject of research itself, the question becomes: what infrastructure and strategy are needed to support this work in the academic context?
The talk will highlight how AI is being used as a research tool to support discovery, enhance analysis, and enable new forms of scholarly communication. It will also address the increasing significance of generative AI as an object of research, with active inquiry taking place across domains such as ethics, linguistics, education, and computational science. This dual role presents a set of unique challenges for research planning, funding, and institutional coordination.
Key issues to be addressed include uneven access to advanced computing infrastructure, gaps in workforce readiness, and the growing need for national coordination around shared resources such as compute, data, and software. The session will also explore how institutional and policy frameworks can support responsible AI adoption, with attention to governance, training, and ethical oversight. The keynote will conclude by outlining strategic priorities for building sustainable AI capacity in Canada's research ecosystem. These priorities extend beyond technical infrastructure to include talent development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and investment models that reflect both the promise and the complexity of AI in research.
(30 min)
(15 min)
Strengthening Global Training and Skills Development Partnerships: The ARDC-Alliance Staff Exchange Initiative
Catherine Di Vita, Training Coordinator, Digital Research Alliance of Canada; Kathryn Unsworth, Manager, Skilled Workforce Development, Australian Research Data Commons
This presentation explores the staff exchange between the Alliance and the Australian Research Data Commons. We’ll provide an overview of both organizations, share priorities and insights from the first exchange, highlight progress to date, and outline plans to deepen international collaboration in DRI training and workforce development in both jurisdictions.
(15 min)
Optimizing Training Reporting in Canada's Digital Research Infrastructure ecosystem: An ACENET led Pilot Project
Ines Hessler, CTO, ACENET
Over the past decade, training has become an increasingly important part of our mission, with demand continuing to grow. To enhance our offerings and better leverage the data we collect, we launched a pilot project aimed at streamlining and standardizing training data collection and reporting processes. Since we don’t yet have full confidence in which metrics will best meet the Alliance’s national reporting needs, this project also includes a collaborative component to align our approach with broader Federation expectations.
(15 min)
User Certification: Let's do it!
Sergey Mashchenko, High Performance Computing Technical Consultant at SHARCNET, and Paul Preney, High Performance Computing Technical Consultant at the University of Windsor
In this presentation, we will discuss pros and cons of requiring users to go through a certification procedure. This can be a good way to force users to get some basic training, reducing a waste of the computing and staff resources.
11:45 AM
(15 min)
Redefining Training Discovery: An Introduction to Explora, the New Training Portal
Catherine Di Vita, Training Coordinator, Digital Research Alliance of Canada; Ramses van Zon, HPC Systems Analyst, SciNet/ Chair, National Training Coordination Council; Chris Want, Programmer/Analyst, University of Alberta
This presentation will cover the development of Explora, the National Training Discovery Portal, focusing on phase one: a centralized platform for the discovery of national DRI training events. We will demo Explora, discuss the need for wider access to training, development challenges, and invite community feedback to shape future versions.
(60 min)
(75 min)
Stream 1: Advancing HPC
(30 min)
The Future of HPC in the age of AI (AI clusters vs HPC systems. Are we ready?)
Roman Baranowski, DRI Software Architect, ARC UBC; Jeff Albert, Manager and Architect, Advanced Research Computing Infrastructure, University of Victoria
In this talk /panel discussion I/we would like to talk/discuss about the architectural differences between AI and 'typical' HPC based workflows and try to address the challenges we are facing and find a path forward. We as an Alliance Community have to be ready .... so let's talk....
(15 min)
Kubernetes as a Natural Evolution of HPC: Complementing, Not Competing
Shaun Bathgate, Senior Advanced Research Computing Systems Administrator, University of Victoria
Kubernetes supports interactive services, microservice architectures, and ephemeral workloads. This talk shows how it complements traditional HPC by expanding workload types and improving deployment flexibility, while preserving the strengths of HPC in batch scheduling and computational throughput across research institutions.
(15 min)
Beyond MPI And OpenMP: Teaching Parallel Programming in Modern Research Computing
Alex Razoumov, Research Solutions Lead, Research Computing, Simon Fraser University
Since 2017, our parallel programming training has shifted from MPI/OpenMP to higher-level languages like Chapel, Julia, and Python. These courses cover parallelism across cores, nodes, and GPUs, offering scalable, easy-to-learn solutions for novice users -- without sacrificing the performance of traditional HPC frameworks.
(15 min)
Research Computing and Data Storage at Scale: 10 Years, 140+ Webinars
Alex Razoumov, Research Solutions Lead, Research Computing, Simon Fraser University
In our research computing webinars we have covered numerous tools that enhance simulation and data management workflows. This talk highlights four standout HPC+RDM tools: in-situ visualization, lossy 3D compression, distributed dataset storage with git-annex, and DAR (Disk ARchiver).
Stream 2: Supporting excellence
(30 min)
An open-minded discussion about communication to the research community
Marie-Helene Burle, Research Solutions Specialist, Simon Fraser University
The Alliance has two important audiences: stake holders and researchers. Stake holders because without money nothing can be done; researchers because without them what’s the point? While communication to stake holders is mature, communication to the research community is lacking. I invite you to a roundtable to discuss this.
(15 min)
Know Your Clients: Through the Traces of their Work
Mark Hahn, System Admin, Sharcnet-McMaster, Compute Ontario
Understanding the researchers’ needs is critical to providing the infrastructure that enable them to maximize their contributions to their respective research areas. When researchers use DRAC resources they leave traces about their needs and successes. This starts with their user and group account details but extends out into their job records and research outputs. What can we tell about the needs and successes of our researchers by aggregating data from the various information sources that we currently have (e.g. user profiles, allocations, job records, publications, support tickets, etc) and what else could we learn by implementing new data collections that would give us more fine grained access to other key properties of research production (e.g. storage use, software utilization, job performance metrics, training registrations and outcomes, etc).
(15 min)
Optimising Resource Utilisation in HPC: Tackling Waste in the Alliance Ecosystem
Moïra Dion, Analyst, Calcul Québec; Hélène Gingras, Analyst, Calcul Québec
This talk explores resource waste in the Alliance ecosystem, focusing on Narval’s CPU, GPU, and memory inefficiencies. A three-month project identified 125 over-consumers, estimated waste costs at $88,605, and implemented improvements like educational resources and streamlined workflows to enhance resource utilization and user engagement.
(15 min)
Monitoring GPU utilization and waste management best practices (Accelerator Working Group)
Nikolai Sergueev, HPC Analyst, Calcul Québec/Université de Montréal
Stream 3: Platforms for progress
(30 min)
The Colibri Initiative: Towards Accessible Cloud Services
Sarah Cameron-Pesant, Advanced Research Computing Analyst - Humanities and Social Sciences Specialist, Calcul Québec / Université du Québec à Montréal; Lydia Vermeyden, Director for the development of new research services, Calcul Québec
A strong need has been identified in the research community for ready-to-use open-source software that facilitates inter-institutional collaboration. The Colibri initiative is led by Calcul Québec to develop new, more accessible cloud services for researchers who do not have the technical skills or resources to use our current services.
(15 min)
Does your DMP Template Needs a Refresh? A Cyber-Aware Approach to RDM
Luc Letarte, Research Cybersecurity and Compliance Specialist, UBC
Data Management Plans (DMPs) – they seem simple, but are they? How can we navigate the complexities of data security? How can we design a one-size-fits-all template for diverse research needs while ensuring requirements are met? In today's digital age, the requirements for DMPs have evolved, with a heightened focus on cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance. In this lightning talk, we will present a summary of our updates to modernize the UBC DMP template with emphasize data security in mind, as well as meeting the increasing demands of funding agencies and regulatory bodies.
(15 min)
DMP Assistant: Stable Present, Evolving Future
Marcus Closen, Product Lead, Data Management Planning, Digital Research Alliance of Canada
DMP Assistant is the Canadian solution for data management planning. It provides a national, bi-lingual platform for Canadian researchers. This presentation considers the past, present, and future of DMP in Canada and the potential of greater collaboration between platforms like DMP Assistant and other DRI assets in the space.
(15 min)
Adapting Open-Source: A Learning Opportunity for Research Support and Developers Alike
Danica Evering, Research Data Management Specialist, McMaster University and Richie Motorgeanu, Learning Resource Development Assistant, Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship, McMaster University
More researchers than ever are accessing digital research infrastructure and services: Advanced Research Computing, Research Data Management, and Research Software Development. Using our newly developed README Creator tool as a case study, this interactive talk explores the challenges and benefits of adapting open-source software as a multidisciplinary team of research support staff and students. We’ll end with a group discussion about researcher needs which could be addressed through open-source tools, training, or documentation and how we can collaborate across pillars while providing hands-on learning opportunities for future professionals.
(30 min)
(30 min)
Research Data Management Demystified: Your Questions, Our Answers!
Amanda Tomé, Marcus Closen, Tristan Kuehn, Natalie Williams, Lee Wilson, RDM, Digital Research Alliance of Canada, and Caroline Baril, Calcul Québec
The AMA (Ask Me Anything) style interactive session about research data management (RDM) practices and services will facilitate discussion, dispel myths about RDM practices, and foster mutual understanding between colleagues. The goal is to create greater connection and understanding between the different functional areas of the DRI ecosystem, to identify avenues for collaboration between RDM and other areas, and to understand gaps in knowledge that need further investigation.
(15 min)
What Really Happens at FRDR? An Overview of Curation and Preservation Services
Natalie Williams, Curation Services Lead and Amanda Tomé, Preservation Coordinator, Digital Research Alliance of Canada
Representatives from the FRDR service team will discuss how curation and preservation activities prevent common issues with data reuse, extending the life and utility of research data.
(15 min)
Building an Inter-Institutional and Cross-Functional Research Data Management Community: From Strategy to Implementation
Anneliese Eber, Research Data Management Librarian, University of Waterloo; Jennifer Abel, Research Data Management Librarian, University of Calgary; Michael Steeleworthy, Research Data Management Librarian, Wilfrid Laurier University
During a nationwide workshop at the University of Waterloo, participants from libraries, research offices, and IT departments engaged in dynamic discussion sharing strategies and challenges to strengthen the digital research infrastructure community. This session will highlight key actionable recommendations from the workshop and foster discussion to continue this collaborative work.
(15 min)
Laying the Foundation: The Pilot National Research Data Management Jumpstart
Jennifer Abel, Research Data Management Librarian, University of Calgary
RDM Jumpstart is a free national program which introduces attendees to best practices in RDM using common tools to support research transparency and reproducibility. The pilot offering was held in May 2025. We will explore the motivations behind the program and how it works, as well as sharing preliminary feedback.
(15 min)
Has Magic? False: File Format Signature Development for Research Data Formats
Amanda Tomé, Preservation Coordinator, Digital Research Alliance of Canada
Understanding file formats is one of the first steps in determining preservation capabilities and risk to long-term access. However, digital preservation identification tools fail to identify many file formats associated with research data creating a barrier to an important initial step in the preservation process. This presentation will describe the ongoing work undertaken by the digital preservation team to develop file format signatures to help identify file formats found in the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR). It also seeks to solicit feedback from the broader DRI community on other possible approaches to file format identification work.
Day 2 - Conference #
Wednesday, May 28 (click to expand)
(60 min)
Keynote - Health Sciences in the digital age
Dr. Guillaume Bourque, Professor in the Department of Human Genetics and Director of Bioinformatics at the McGill Genome Center. Board Director, Digital Research Alliance of Canada.
High-throughput technologies are transforming biomedical research by enabling the detailed characterization of individual genomes and cellular molecular processes at unprecedented resolution. When paired with advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, these technologies hold immense promise for driving innovation in health sciences and improving healthcare outcomes. However, realizing this potential requires overcoming significant challenges in data management, software infrastructure, and computational resources. Here, I will present key initiatives addressing some of these challenges. The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH)—a not-for-profit alliance of over 500 organizations—is developing technical standards, policy frameworks, and tools to promote the responsible, voluntary, and secure use of genomic and related health data worldwide. I will also present SecureData4Health, a secure cloud-based infrastructure designed to support the analysis and sharing of genomic and health data. It builds on existing capabilities in Ontario through HPC4Health and adds a new compute node in Québec to enhance national capacity. Finally, I will introduce the Pan-Canadian Genome Library (PCGL), a landmark initiative unifying Canada’s human genome sequencing effort. PCGL establishes a centralized, federated data management system aligned with international standards and respectful of jurisdictional and cultural constraints around human genetic data. It supports both retrospective and new projects, ensuring long-term archival, accessibility, and integration of genomic, clinical, and phenotypic data. Together, these efforts lay the foundation for a robust, secure, and collaborative ecosystem that will accelerate genomic research and improve health outcomes across Canada and beyond.
(15 min)
Humanities and Social Sciences Digital Research Infrastructure in Canada: Current State and Future Directions
Alyssa Arbuckle, Research Infrastructure Grants Officer; James MacGregor, Director, Research Infrastructure & Development
Recently the Canadian Research Knowledge Network and Érudit collaborated to survey humanities and social sciences (HSS) digital research infrastructure (DRI) in Canada. This presentation focuses on areas of confluence in HSS DRI, including the integration of PIDs through the Canadian PID Advisory Committee, coordinated by the Alliance with others.
(15 min)
Qualitative supports and software for Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Researchers
Lina Harper, Humanities and Social Sciences Analyst, McGill; Jérémie Dion, Coordinator of the LibreQDA project and PhD candidate in STS at UQAM
A high level, introductory overview of qualitative research and needs of HSS researchers. We look at the goals and challenges of qualitative methods, proprietary software, and conclude with a preview of open source software. LibreQDA (in beta) is being developed with the support of Calcul Quebec.
(30 min)
(75 min)
Stream 1: Secure Foundations
(15 min)
Sensitive Research Computing with SciNet4Health
Shawn Winnington-Ball, Manager, Information System Security, SciNet, University of Toronto; Yohai Meiron, Scientific Applications Analyst, SciNet, University of Toronto
We introduce a secure computing enclave at SciNet High-Performance Computing Consortium. Codenamed S4H, this environment is already available to groups at the University of Toronto as a pilot project. S4H aims to meet researchers’ needs for hosting and working with sensitive data, which SciNet’s main cluster, Niagara, does not accommodate. We’ll explain how S4H data are encrypted at rest and access is hardened, talk about the difficulties of providing isolation for different research groups on a shared system, and explore the different components that make it possible, such as key management and containerization mechanisms. We will also focus on our adoption of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework, describing our journey deciphering the complexities of the NIST 800-171 control set, crafting Plans of Action and Milestones for compliance gaps, and internal and external assessments to verify compliance.
(15 min)
Secure Data for Health (SD4H), a secure Digital Research Cloud
Nathalie Aerens, SD4Health platform manager, McGill; Pierre-Olivier Quirion, SD4H tech Lead, McGill - CQ - SD4H
The future of Canada’s digital research in health and genomics is relying on robust privacy and security safeguards. Data security has always been a concern for human genomics research, and since its progressive but intensive usage of the Canadian DRI infrastructure, different levels of pressure have been put on us, Alliance members, to make our infrastructure secure.
Achieving robust security for human health projects is no longer a distant goal. New requirements, like the recent update to the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy, have made it a priority for research groups previously less concerned with this aspect. The old approach of neglecting security demands is not viable for many new research projects.
SD4H is based on an OpenStack cloud infrastructure managed jointly by McGill's Canadian Center for Computational Genomics (C3G) and Calcul Québec. Advanced Research Computing, Research Data Management, and Research Software services are developed and deployed on this infrastructure, providing privacy and security for its users.
(15 min)
Federated Identities for Scientific Platforms Using CILogon
Darren Boss, Senior Research Computing Analyst, University of Victoria
CILogon is used to simplify access to platforms via the EduGain identity federation. It enables easy user authentication and sharing of enriched identity data across multiple applications. CILogon is already being used in platforms like DMP Assistant, and the Cloud Connect pilot with more platform integrations in the planning phase.
(15 min)
API Security
Ryan McRonald, Cybersecurity Manager, UVic / Arbutus Site
APIs are the backbone of modern applications enabling integration and communication between systems. However, with great connectivity comes great responsibility. This technical talk will delve into API security, exploring the risks exposed via APIs, the best practices for securing APIs, and how to implement API security measures based on work to secure our community cloud APIs. Join us to learn how to fortify your APIs against common threats.
(15 min)
Controlled Access Management (CAM) for Research Data Initiative
Victoria Smith, Data Governance & Ethics Lead, Digital Research Alliance of Canada
This presentation will provide a brief overview of the Controlled Access Management (CAM) for Research Data Initiative, including outputs from Phase 1, and current and planned work. Applying the principles of open science in the context of sensitive and restricted access research involve challenges on different levels.
Stream 2: Innovating systems
(15 min)
MonarQ Taking Flight
Lydia Vermeyden, Director for the development of new research services, Calcul Québec
2025 is the international year for quantum science and technology, marking 100 years since the first official publication of quantum mechanics. At Calcul Québec we are celebrating with the launch of our quantum services on MonarQ, our 24 qubit quantum computer. But what is quantum computing, and is it really that different from managing the classical systems, software and data that we know and love? What happens if classical and quantum systems are connected together? We will be discussing these questions while sharing our extraordinary journey of launching quantum computing services at Calcul Québec, and the amazing team that has made it possible. After all, successfully facilitating the research of tomorrow is not just about the latest technology, it's about the people that make it happen.
(15 min)
PennyLane-Calculquebec: Streamlining Quantum Algorithm Research on MonarQ
Samuel Richard, Calcul Québec
Calcul Québec developed PennyLane-CalculQuébec, a software plugin enabling hybrid quantum-classical workflows on MonarQ, Canada's 24-qubit quantum computer by Anyon Systems. This session introduces key plugin features and an overview of the architecture, concluding with future enhancements aimed at broader integration with Canada’s evolving quantum research infrastructure.
(15 min)
Streamlining Magic Castle clusters creation at Calcul Québec using Terraform cloud
Maxime Boissonneault, Director, Research and teaching support, Calcul Québec
(15 min)
A Home Among the Clouds
Jeff Albert, Manager and Architect, Advanced Research Computing Infrastructure, University of Victoria
Come hear the details of the Arbutus Cloud renewal, the exciting capabilities it's bringing forward, and an exploration of how the rapidly-changing global landscape has put a sudden spotlight on technology autonomy at every level.
(15 min)
State of the Accelerators
Pawel Pomorski, HPC analyst, lead of Accelerators Working Group, Sharcnet
The Alliance has just experienced a generational jump in the capabilities of its accelerator hardware, with hundreds of NVIDIA H100 GPUs and some MI300A APUs newly available. This session will discuss the impact of these changes and what we might expect in new accelerator hardware in the coming years.
Stream 3: Empowering research
(15 min)
UseGalaxy Canada platform update
Carol Gauthier, Project Manager / Developper, Université de Sherbrooke / Calcul Québec
This talk will present the platform UseGalaxy.ca, the Canadian branch of the international UseGalaxy initiative, based on the open source Galaxy platform. We will provide an overview of its components, including the integration with the Alliance Cloud Connect Pilot project, as well as usage statistics and roadmap.
(15 min)
CBRAIN: A Web-based Distributed Computing Platform for Collaborative Research
Bryan Caron, Director, Operations and Development (CBRAIN and NeuroHub) and Co-PI of NeuroHub, McGill University
CBRAIN is an open-source, research platform that enables scientists to perform large-scale data analyses using advanced scientific tools through an intuitive web interface. With over 2,000 users across 193 locations in 59 countries, CBRAIN connects researchers in neuroinformatics, genomics, and beyond to distributed computing and data resources.
(15 min)
OSSecMon: High-Performance Linux Security Monitoring with eBPF
Gabriel Lapointe, Security Analyst, McGill University
First, we will explain the context in which OSSecMon was created (We had noticed deficiencies at certain levels concerning, among other things, basic security principles, e.g., non-repudiation, and this led us to develop a solution that did not yet exist). Afterwards, we will briefly overview the main technology used by the program (eBPF) and explain how we use it in ossecmon, followed by a brief overview of complementary tools used such as inotify, yara, and openscap. We will conclude by explaining how OSSecMon can be used to comply with certain standards such as NIST, ISO, etc. We will probably run out of time, but everything will be followed by a question period.
(15 min)
Interactive HPC Computing with Open OnDemand
Grigory Shamov, Site Lead / HPC Specialist, University of Manitoba; James Willis, Scientific Applications Analyst, SciNet
In this talk, we will introduce Open OnDemand, a web-based interface designed to provide easy access to High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources. Terminal-based interfaces can be challenging for new users with limited experience, resulting in a steep learning curve. Open OnDemand aims to make HPC more accessible by offering an intuitive graphical interface that simplifies the process of submitting, monitoring and managing jobs. We will explore the key features of Open OnDemand, including web-based access, job management, file management and support for interactive applications like Jupyter Notebooks, RStudio, and VS Code. Additionally, we will demonstrate the SciNet and Grex Open OnDemand portal and discuss their deployment and use cases.
(15 min)
From Bash Scripts to GitOps: Automating Kubernetes Deployments with ArgoCD
Shaun Bathgate, Senior Advanced Research Computing Systems Administrator, University of Victoria
This session introduces GitOps as a structured, version-controlled approach to Kubernetes management. By comparing imperative scripts with ArgoCD-driven workflows, attendees will learn how declarative infrastructure, automated sync, and secure secret handling simplify operations and improve stability across single or multi-cluster research environments.
(60 min)
(30 min)
Alliance projects and initiatives updates
Session details coming soon
(45 min)
Alliance Fireside Chat
Session details coming soon
(30 min)
The detailed descriptions are available here in the language they were provided.