Diana Dugas

Biography
Diana V. Dugas earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Rice University back in 2007. She studied plant microRNAs and genetics. Her love of math and enjoyment in puzzles (read: scripting/programming) led her into bioinformatics for her post-docs. Diana was trained in bioinformatics at Baylor College of Medicine, then brought that knowledge to a lab at Texas A&M, a USDA lab, and a lab at New Mexico State University. It was at NMSU that a Cyber Infrastructure Architect (CIA) role was created and Diana became the facilitator/liaison between researchers and IT with a focus on the user-support side of the campus HPC. She is PI or co-PI on multiple grants, supports several graduate students, and routinely engages with students and faculty. In 2016, Diana retained her CIA role and title, but also became Director of IT for Instruction and Research Support. This role brought with it teams focused on academic desktop support and classroom technology.
Diana’s favorite question is “why?” because asking is an incredibly powerful tool in helping to understand motivations, career trajectories, and purpose. She has often been a part of the first wave of research areas and technology adoptions and understands both how important independence and trailblazing and support and collaboration are. A member of the Rocky Mountain Advanced Computing Consortium executive committee, a Campus Champion, a trained Carpentries workshop leader, a member of the Students@SC committee, and a member of WHPC, Diana has been able to find and contribute to welcoming and supportive communities. As someone who believes in making things easier for those who come behind, and having benefited from that herself, Diana is always happy to chat, offer support, or provide introductions.
Diana’s favorite question is “why?” because asking is an incredibly powerful tool in helping to understand motivations, career trajectories, and purpose. She has often been a part of the first wave of research areas and technology adoptions and understands both how important independence and trailblazing and support and collaboration are. A member of the Rocky Mountain Advanced Computing Consortium executive committee, a Campus Champion, a trained Carpentries workshop leader, a member of the Students@SC committee, and a member of WHPC, Diana has been able to find and contribute to welcoming and supportive communities. As someone who believes in making things easier for those who come behind, and having benefited from that herself, Diana is always happy to chat, offer support, or provide introductions.
Presentations