Networking for Integrated Science: ESnet Convenes Users for Confab25, April 7-10, 2025, in San Francisco

ESnet Executive Director Inder Monga at the Confab23 user meeting, held in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Science is a global conversation, one conducted by collaborators across continents at dizzying speeds. These global collaborations are powerfully complemented by carefully planned gatherings in which user communities can meet face to face, in real time, to tackle complex issues and forge deeper connections that spark innovation. That’s why Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) has designed Confab, our largest user meeting, to bring together U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded domain scientists, network and software engineers, program managers, and user-facility staff in person to co-design the future of integrated science. 

Confab25, our third Confab event, will be held April 7-10, 2025, in San Francisco. (Register by March 30.) During three days of plenary talks, panels, and discussions, followed by a day of breakout meetings, leaders from the DOE community will discuss:

• Future Visions & Directions: State-of-the-art Networking for Science
• ESnet-Enabled Science
• Integrated Research Infrastructure (IRI): Updates from the IRI Management Council
• Not Just Fast Data: ESnet Networking Services to Enable Science
• Integrated Research Infrastructure Workflows: Science & Technology Examples
• Emerging & Evolving Technologies: Where Are We Headed?
• Attendee Lightning Talks

Confab25’s plenary speakers (April 7-9) include:

• Inder Monga, ESnet Executive Director, in conversation with Benjamin Brown, Director, DOE Office of Science's Advanced Scientific Computing Research Facilities Division, followed by open Q&A
• Katie Antypas, Director, National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, on “The NAIRR Pilot: Accelerating AI Innovation and Workforce Development”
• Carol Burns, Deputy Director for Research and Chief Research Officer, Berkeley Lab, in conversation with John Sarrao, Director, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
• William Collins, Associate Laboratory Director of the Berkeley Lab Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA): “What's Past is Prologue: Studies of Extreme Weather using Machine Learning and Climate Emulators”
• Jana Thayer, Division Director, Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC, on “Love in the Time of Exascale: Orchestrating a Future-Proof Romance Between LCLS-II, AI, and DOE’s HPC Ecosystem”
• Ian Foster, Director, Data Science and Learning Division, Argonne National Laboratory, on advancing artificial intelligence (AI) for science.

On Thursday, April 10, ESnet will host three breakout meetings, including an EJFAT Users Meeting. For the full program, visit the Confab25 website. 

Our previous Confab "really demonstrated the power of this interconnected vision of an integrated research infrastructure and the ways in which the research communities are embracing it," said one Confab23 attendee. More than 96% of survey respondents said they would recommend attending Confab to a colleague. 

“It was a privilege to engage with our broader science user community” at Confab23, said Inder Monga, Executive Director of ESnet. “ESnet is not just a network; it is also a critical enabler for scientific discovery and innovation. The discussions at Confab have given us a better understanding of their evolving needs and will guide our efforts to provide world-class services and support in an IRI-driven future. We’re excited to bring everyone back together to discuss our collective progress.” 

Don’t miss this chance to network with a diverse group of leaders in DOE science: register by March 30 for Confab25.  

Questions? Contact user-outreach@es.net.