Nick Jones

Director of the New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (NeSI)

Nick is the Director of the New Zealand eScience Infrastructure, a NZ research sector investment into research computing capability and infrastructure platforms supporting research and innovation. Nick has managed and led a diverse portfolio of projects to deliver capability and infrastructures, including in eScience, high performance computing, grid computing, federated identity management, storage network design and simulation, e-learning and assessment systems development. While focused on research and industry applications of advance ICT, Nick has mentored students and consulted with industry on their technology strategies, with a particular focus being developing Technology Roadmapping skills and capabilities within fast growth IT companies.

Nick’s background is in software and systems design and development, and consultancy, building on postgraduate research into innovation and technology diffusion. His practices build on insights into the sociology of teams, technologies, and markets coupled with a focus on strategic leadership and building adaptive organisations. He is an experienced leader of innovative teams in emerging information technologies and capabilities within the research sector. His research sector experience is complemented by commercial directorships in start-up ventures, including leading The University of Auckland's first software start-up incubated within their commercialisation company, Auckland UniServices Ltd.

Nick’s work within the research sector often involves sector partnerships across institutions and government to deliver critical infrastructure to researchers: on the coordination panel for National Science Challenge 10: Science for Technological Innovation; recently chairing the committee recommending the allocation of government funding in support of New Zealand’s Square Kilometre Array (SKA) contributions; as an advisory board member for two research centres at the University of Auckland. Working with diverse communities of researchers and institutions provides for rich and varied engagement, and collaborations aimed at delivering advanced technology platforms enabling research excellence.

About NeSI

NeSI is New Zealand's computing research infrastructure. We provide high performance computers and support systems to enable the country's researchers to tackle the world's largest problems.
NeSI's strengths surround high performance computing. We place strong emphasis both on the technical aspects, such as providing excellent hardware and software, and the human aspects, such as support and training.
 

NeSI & RDA

NeSI recognises the importance of research data and the developing need to establish and define a national research data infrastructure in NZ, towards which NeSI will likely play a key role. The RDA is instrumental in developing policies and forming standards around the collection and use of research data between science disciplines and across a range of stakeholders – academia, industry and government. Guidelines, frameworks and practices for managing the complexity and sharing of research data are key considerations for NZ researchers. Properly developed these approaches will enable the reuse of data, improve efficiencies in use, and provide for a greater return on investment across science disciplines. NeSI hopes to benefit from and participate in discussions and initiatives put forward by the RDA, with the end goal of contributing to the improved quality and usability of research data though the proper management and use of sustainable digital repositories.