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Meet Your Mentor!
We sat down with our 2025 Anvil REU Mentors to discuss their role at RCAC, what their REU students will be working on, and much, much more. Keep reading below to learn more about your mentor.
LJ Lumas
Please introduce yourself
I’m a Senior Research Solutions Engineer specializing in High-Performance Computing (HPC) & Kubernetes, here to help researchers maximize the potential of computational resources for their scientific discoveries.
What do you do?
Senior Research Solutions Engineer at RCAC
Why would I come to you for help?
You'd come to me because I make it easier to use HPC for your research—whether that’s optimizing your code, solving issues, or helping you get the most out of our systems.
What’s one thing you wish you’d known when you started working in HPC?
I wish I’d known how crucial it is to communicate effectively with researchers from diverse fields to bridge the gap between technical capabilities and scientific goals.
What's one professional skill you're currently working on?
I’m working on enhancing my proficiency in containerization technologies like Docker and Singularity for better HPC workload portability and reproducibility.
What's your go-to productivity trick?
My go-to productivity trick is breaking down complex tasks into smaller, actionable steps and tackling the hardest one first to build momentum.
What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?
Being extremely persistent when solving a challenging problem.
What was your first job?
My first ever job was as a deliveryman for a local pharmacy.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had, and what did you learn from it?
The worst job I ever had was maintaining outdated legacy systems with little documentation, but it taught me the importance of clear documentation and proactive system modernization.
What was your favorite job you’ve ever had and why?
My favorite job is honestly my current role, because it combines cutting-edge technology with the satisfaction of empowering researchers to solve real-world problems. It’s also a great work environment!
What’s a mistake you made early on in your career, and what did you learn from it?
Early in my career, I underestimated the importance of thorough communication with colleagues, which taught me to always clarify requirements and expectations upfront to avoid misaligned solutions.
What led you to this career?
I got into this career because I’ve always loved working with powerful systems and helping people solve tough problems—HPC felt like the perfect mix of tech and making a real impact in research.
What are you currently excited about in your job?
I’m really excited about helping researchers use AI tools alongside traditional HPC workflows—it’s amazing to see how these technologies are accelerating discoveries in ways we couldn’t imagine a few years ago.
What’s one thing that surprised you about working at Purdue/RCAC?
I was pleasantly surprised by the strong sense of community and collaboration at Purdue/RCAC; everyone is genuinely committed to advancing research and supporting each other's projects.
What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of?
I’m really proud of writing a batch-to-Kubernetes conversion script that streamlined migrating workloads to Kubernetes, enabling researchers to run their jobs more efficiently and with greater scalability.
What's the biggest misconception people have about your position?
The biggest misconception is that my job is just about fixing technical issues, when a large part of it involves collaborating with researchers to design solutions that advance their science.
How long have you been on the Anvil team/at RCAC?
About a year and a half now.
Fun Fact:
A fun fact about me is that I’m a huge foodie, and I’m on a mission to try every type of cuisine I can find—Thai and Korean BBQ are my current favorites!
Why did you decide to become a mentor for the REU program?
I decided to become a mentor for the REU program because I want to help students gain real-world tech skills that will set them up for success in their future careers.
What value does the REU program provide for students?
The REU program gives students hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, real-world problem-solving skills, and the opportunity to collaborate on impactful research projects, all while building a strong foundation for their careers.
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How can this help them in their professional career?
This experience can help in their professional career by equipping them with practical skills in advanced computing, fostering collaboration and communication abilities, and making them stand out to employers through their exposure to real-world research and cutting-edge technologies.
What value do you get from being a mentor for the REU program?
Being a mentor for the REU program is incredibly rewarding because I get to share my knowledge, help shape the next generation of tech professionals, and gain fresh perspectives from students who bring new ideas and energy to our projects.
What will your REU students be working on specifically?
This project focuses on developing a user-friendly web interface to simplify the process of building and deploying container workloads on the Anvil Composable system. Using advanced CI/CD tools like GitHub Actions, CircleCI, or Jenkins, the goal is to create an automated, GitOps-integrated workflow. This interface will allow users to upload Dockerfiles or Singularity definition files, link Git repositories, and specify essential project details such as the project name, image name, and registry tag. The ultimate result will be a streamlined, efficient process for container management and deployment, reducing the complexity and time required for these tasks. This project offers students a chance to work with modern containerization and automation tools while contributing to the future of container orchestration on Anvil.
Why HPC?
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As an industry to work in
HPC is at the forefront of innovation, driving breakthroughs in fields from AI to climate science, and it offers the chance to work on cutting-edge technologies while solving real-world problems that have global impact.
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As a use for research
HPC enables researchers to tackle computationally intensive challenges that would be impossible otherwise, such as simulating complex systems, analyzing massive datasets, or accelerating discoveries in fields like medicine and physics.
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As an experience as an undergrad
HPC exposes undergrads to powerful tools and techniques, building invaluable technical skills, fostering problem-solving abilities, and giving them a unique edge when applying for grad school or jobs in tech-driven industries.
Why RCAC/Purdue?
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As a place to work as a professional
It’s an inspiring place where you get to work on impactful research projects and support cutting-edge science with top-notch computing resources.
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A place to get your education (e.g. grad school)
Purdue offers incredible opportunities to learn from experts, access powerful computing environments like RCAC, and contribute to meaningful research. It’s also a well renowned school.
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As a place to work as an undergrad
As a place to work as an undergrad You get real-world experience, build technical skills, and work on projects that truly make a difference.
Where do you see HPC/Supercomputing/Research Computing going in the next 10 years?
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Over the next decade, I see HPC, supercomputing, and research computing evolving in several key ways:
- Cloud-HPC Integration: More institutions will adopt hybrid models that blend on-premises HPC clusters with cloud-based resources. This allows for scalability without the upfront capital expense.
- Dynamic Resource Allocation: On-demand HPC via cloud providers will become increasingly sophisticated, offering researchers the ability to quickly scale their simulations without long queue times.