Mar 10 2025 98 mins 1
Episode 77 – Get A Big Dog
Hosts: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen
Guest: Dr. Valerie Taylor
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Episode Description:
Dive into an insightful conversation with Dr. Valerie Taylor, Director of Argonne National Labs’ Mathematics and Computer Science Division. Exploring her journey from a tech-infused childhood in Chicago to pioneering roles in academia and founding the organization, CMD-IT. Dr. Taylor shares personal stories about mentorship, navigating academia as a minority, and shaping the future of computing through inclusivity and research. Get a glimpse into significant milestones in industry and academia, accentuated by her leadership in the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference.
Key Takeaways:
- Dr. Valerie Taylor’s upbringing in an engineering-focused family in Chicago shaped her early passion for STEM, leading her to Purdue University and UC Berkeley.
- She successfully navigated through academia’s challenges, eventually finding a niche in both teaching and groundbreaking research.
- Dr. Taylor sheds light on her leadership role at Argonne National Labs, highlighting advanced computational research and national priorities in energy and security.
- Command it, under Dr. Taylor’s leadership, focuses on promoting inclusivity and diversity within the tech industry through strategic programs like the Tapia Conference.
- The episode underscores the importance of mentorship, the impact of community support, and fostering a culture of inclusiveness in STEM fields.
Valerie’s Bio:-::
Dr. Valerie Taylor is the Director of the Mathematics and Computer Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory. Before joining Argonne, she was Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering and a Regents Professor and the Royce E. Wisenbaker Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University.
In 2003, she joined Texas A&M University as the Department Head of CSE, where she remained in that position until 2011. Prior to joining Texas A&M, Dr. Taylor was a member of the faculty in the EECS Department at Northwestern University for eleven years. Her research is in the area of high performance computing, with a focus on performance analysis and modeling of parallel, scientific applications. She is also the Executive Director of the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT).
Dr. Taylor is an IEEE Fellow, ACM Fellow, and has received numerous awards for distinguished research and leadership, including the 2001 IEEE Harriet B. Rigas Award for a woman with significant contributions in engineering education, the 2002 Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni from the University of California at Berkeley, the 2002 CRA Nico Habermann Award for increasing the diversity in computing, and the 2005 Tapia Achievement Award for Scientific Scholarship, Civic Science, and Diversifying Computing.
Dr. Taylor earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue University in 1985 and 1986, respectively, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991.
