Leadership & Organization

Sara Ackerman, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Institute for Health Policy Studies, and Bioethics Program at the University of California San Francisco. Sara is an anthropologist who uses empirical ethics research and public engagement to advance our understanding of emerging medical technologies and their implications for patients, families, and historically entrenched health disparities.

Jennifer James, PhD, MSW, MSSP, is an Associate Professor in the Institute for Health and Aging, the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Bioethics Program at UCSF. Jen is a qualitative researcher and Black Feminist scholar who conducts community-engaged research on the intersection of race, gender and health. Her empirical ethics research is grounded in Black bioethics and challenging and advancing the way justice is considered in health and healthcare. 

Jennifer Young, PhD, MS, MA, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Social Science at Northwestern University and a member of the Center for Genetic Medicine. Dr. Young leads the psychosocial education and research program for the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling and her research work focuses on the equitable and ethical implementation of genomic medicine. 

Claire Stirm, MS, is a Co-PI for the Science Gateways Center of Excellence (SGX3). She leads the Consulting team in technical advice, sustainability, and usability engagements. She received her Master’s in strategic communication from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Claire leads the SGX3 Consulting team out of the San Diego Supercomputer Center at the University of California, San Diego.

Paul Parsons, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology at Purdue University. He received his Bachelor degree in computing and cognitive science from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. In 2013, Paul received his Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario in Computer Science, specializing in human-centered design, interactive visual interfaces, and cognitive technologies. His research is in the area of human-centered design of interactive technology, with a focus on human cognition, visualization interfaces, and interaction design. He leads the user-centered design and usability consulting for the Science Gateways Center of Excellence (SGX3).

Amit Chourasia is the Director of Software and Platforms at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego. He spearheads computing and data management platforms including Hubzero®, SeedMeLab and the OneSciencePlace®. His applied and research interests are in area of cyberinfrastructure, science gateways, data management & visualization and build platforms that removes barriers to technical expertise, infrastructure resources and content and make them available at scale as widely as possible.