SDSC Launches Societal Computing and Innovation Lab
Published May 19, 2025
The Societal Computing and Innovation Lab (SCIL), housed at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) within UC San Diego’s School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences, held its official launch event on May 14. SCIL was created by Ilkay Altintas, SDSC’s Chief Data Science Officer, to pioneer innovation pathways to address complex societal challenges. At the heart of SCIL’s translational approach is a commitment to moving from use-inspired problems to scalable, real-world solutions.
The lab’s work is informed by over two decades of Altintas’ leadership in scientific workflows and computing and a decade of collaboration through the WIFIRE Program with the fire management community. According to Altintas, “SCIL grew out of our deep commitment to identifying critical gaps in today’s solution landscape—gaps where we can uniquely innovate at the intersection of science, technology, and data and AI to drive real-world, transformative impact on society’s most pressing challenges.”
SCIL offers data platforms and fire management solutions that are powered by dozens of research projects and partnerships aimed at translating science into practice. This work is grounded in five primary research areas:
- integrated research workflows,
- composable systems across the digital continuum,
- data and knowledge systems,
- digital twins for complex systems and
- agentic AI for scientific applications.
The renowned WIFIRE Program—which provided valuable predictive mapping data to responders during the recent fires in Los Angeles—develops technologies with the fire management community driven by cutting-edge science and data to increase resilience to wildfires. Meanwhile, SCIL develops and supports a suite of open, interoperable data platforms that serve as critical infrastructure for collaborative research, decision-making and real-world impact. These platforms include the National Data Platform, which has earned national recognition as a “Project to Watch,” as well as the National Science Foundation (NSF) Quantum Foundry’s Quantum Data Hub and the Wildfire Science & Technology Commons.
“SCIL’s work will build a stronger, more connected innovation ecosystem by reimagining how university researchers and cross-sector community partners can work together to tackle pressing societal issues,” said SDSC Director Frank Würthwein.
A defining feature of SCIL is its Immersion Studio, which leverages the AI-readiness of scientific data to power new modes of teaching, training, decision-making and public engagement. This dynamic research and visualization space offers large-scale multi-panel displays and virtual reality experiences. “From 3D vegetation models and fire science simulations to real-world data from high-resolution sensors, the immersion studio brings complex information to life through cutting-edge visualization,” said SCIL’s Chief Innovation Officer Melissa Floca.
SCIL’s commitment to solving complex societal challenges requires more than technical knowledge — it entails hands-on engagement with real-world problems — providing experiential education opportunities. These activities train the next generation of innovators through a variety of programs such as data challenges, the CORE Institute and the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship.
“The lab’s experience, applications and partnerships will inform a specialization that provides students with a foundation to imagine, build and scale solutions to society’s most pressing problems,” said Rajesh K. Gupta, SCIDS interim dean and founding director of the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute. To learn more about SCIL, please visit its website.
SCIL's projects are supported by funding from SDG&E, California agencies, NSF, NIST, DHS, USDA, DHS, NOAA, the Moore Foundation, UCOP, ESTCP, NASA and others.