A team of international researchers, including Pakistani academic Dr. Zubair Khalid, has won the prestigious Gordon Bell Prize, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of supercomputing,” for their groundbreaking work in climate modeling.
Dr. Khalid, an associate professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), is the first Pakistani to achieve this honor.
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), which awards the prize annually, recognized the team for their project, “Boosting Earth System Model Outputs and Saving PetaBytes in Their Storage Using Exascale Climate Emulators.”
The project offers a revolutionary approach to climate modeling, replacing traditional models that are time-consuming and produce vast amounts of data with a "smart climate model.”
Dr. Khalid, during an interview with a Pakistani media outlet, explained that their emulator is a compact and energy-efficient tool that uses smaller data inputs to accurately predict climate patterns.
This advancement allows for precise local predictions of extreme weather events, such as floods, hurricanes, and heat waves.
The model’s fine-scale data could significantly enhance disaster preparedness and even assist farmers in optimizing agricultural practices based on localized forecasts.
Dr. Khalid stressed the emulator’s potential to make a tangible impact in Pakistan, helping protect lives and livelihoods in vulnerable communities.
Reflecting on the recognition, he called it an “incredibly humbling honor” and expressed hope that his achievement would inspire young Pakistani scientists to pursue impactful research.
“For me, this recognition is not merely personal, it is a profound honour to represent Pakistan on the global stage and contribute to addressing one of the most pressing global challenges of our time,” he said.
Source: Dawn
