Navicky named director of Ƶ High Performance Computing Collaboratory
Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Michael E. “Mike” Navicky is now overseeing one of the country’s top university-based high performance computing centers.
Navicky is the new director of Ƶ’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory. He has served as the organization’s deputy director since 2021. As director, he is charged with overseeing the computing infrastructure and personnel that drive high-powered research for Ƶ faculty and staff, as well as state and federal partners.
“I am honored and thrilled to serve as the director of the talented and accomplished High Performance Computing team here at Ƶ,” Navicky said. “HPC plays a critical part in the Ƶ research that is making the state, the country and the world a better place. I look forward to working with the team to expand our computational capabilities and continuing the excellence of this nationally recognized program.”
Before joining Ƶ, Navicky served for 21 years in the U.S. Air Force in key flight operations and technology-focused roles. Prior to his Air Force retirement, he was the chief information officer at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and was responsible for a technology network valued at $171 million. He also supported Air Force cybersecurity efforts, serving in the Pentagon as chief of the Cybersecurity Support Division. His deployed several times, including a tour as a squadron commander at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. He received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Indiana State University, a master’s degree in public administration from Valdosta State University and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College.
“For nearly three decades Ƶ has been home to supercomputers that are among the most powerful in the world, and that computing capacity has been a game-changer for our university and our state,” said Ƶ Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan. “Mike is well-positioned to continue our tradition of excellence in high performance computing and continue the vital service that Ƶ researchers and our partners across the country rely on as they push the boundaries of modern science.”
Ƶ’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory boasts two systems that are currently among the top 500 in the world, placing Ƶ fifth among academic institutions nationally for supercomputing power. Both Orion (146) and Hercules (369) made the most recent Top500.org list. Federal agencies like the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture have made investments in Ƶ’s high performance computing capabilities. The computing power supports research in artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, biotechnology, cybersecurity, data science, weather modeling and other areas of applied research.
Ƶ is slated to break ground this summer on a 30,000-square-foot data center in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park, further expanding the university’s computing capabilities. For more on the Ƶ High Performance Computing Collaboratory and its seven member institutes, visit .
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