ADACS Merit Allocation Program - Overview and Q&A  [slides]

Abstract

For those who haven't heard of us: Astronomy Data and Computing Services (ADACS) is an initiative of Astronomy Australia Ltd (AAL), delivered in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology and Curtin University. We aim to provide astronomy-focused training, support and professional expertise to the Australian astronomy community to help it maximise scientific returns on investments in data & computing infrastructure.

One of the flagship programs of ADACS is its Merit Allocation Program. Through this program, Australian astronomers can obtain access to the time of a group of dedicated professional software engineers (augmented with a suitable mix of computationally skilled astronomers) to start new software initiatives; optimise established ones; or to provide bespoke training workshops. The allocation of resources is administered by an independent time allocation committee who evaluate proposals based on scientific merit and impact.

The call for expressions of interest for participation in the 2021A semester (beginning Jan 1, 2021) will be open by the time of this talk, with proposals due in early November, 2020. In this talk I will provide a brief overview of ADACS and the ADACS Merit Allocation Program, leaving time to answer questions regarding how to best engage this special program to grow or accelerate your research. If you have any additional questions or concerns - either after this talk or leading up to it - please don't hesitate to contact me at gpoole@swin.edu.au.

You can also visit https://adacs.org.au to learn more about ADACS and the services we provide.