Research Assistant Professor Mark Gates has been named the interim director of the Innovative Computing Laboratory.

Gates will ensure the University of Tennessee remains a global leader in High Performance & Scientific Computing while UT conducts a thorough search to replace former director Hartwig Anzt.

“It’s an honor to be able to lead ICL in this transition between directors,” Gates said. “Hopefully, I can facilitate a smooth transition to a new permanent director.”

Gates received his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He arrived at ICL in 2011 as a postdoctoral researcher.

His research is in the solution of linear algebra problems on modern computers with multi-core and GPU architectures, as part of SLATE, PLASMA, and MAGMA projects.

ICL has developed algorithms and software that are used around the world. The lab has served as a connection point for UT to partner with high-profile laboratories, including national labs such as Oak Ridge, Argonne, Los Alamos, Berkeley, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore, and premier universities like Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Georgia Tech, as well as key industry leaders, including IBM, Dell, and NVIDIA.