Research

Last Updated September 2023
Check out Sam's CV for a full list of Publications, Grants, and Presentations.

Sam's research interests

I do two things:

• I work with a variety of scientists to create enabling tools and technologies in their field. These tools are usually driven by complex machine learning or graph-theoretical algorithms. I also work with scientists to do statistical analysis of (usually messy) domain-specific datasets.
  Areas where I have publicized work include the domain of theoretical mathematics, scientific visualization, student sense of belonging, ecology, supercomputing memory management, and more.
• I do empirical quantitative analysis of research software engineering projects, particularly in the advanced scientific computing space. This is my PhD dissertation work. I'm asking questions like, "Just how many scientific software projects are out there? (Especially government-funded projects?) What do they look like? How do they compare to other types of software? Based on these kinds of analyses, what are the tools we can create to enable and support developers of scientific software?"

Forward looking research agenda

I am a believer in student-driven research.
I expect my future research agenda to be largely centered by my students' interests and curiosity. I am here to serve students and have them in the driver's seat (with myself providing guidance and navigation from the passenger seat so we stay on the road).
Are you a student, scientist, or faculty member interested in doing research with me? Send me a message and let's chat!