Columbus, Ohio (Nov. 30, 2012) – Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Jim Petro recently appointed Pankaj Shah as executive director of the Ohio Supercomputer Center.
Shah concurrently serves as the executive director of the Ohio Academic Resources Network (OARnet), a role he’s held since 2005. By leading both technology organizations in their independent missions, Shah will seek closer collaboration between the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) and OARnet, creating new opportunities from their combined efforts.
As a member of the Ohio Board of Regents’ Ohio Technology Consortium, OSC provides academic and industrial research communities with high-performance computing services, cyberinfrastructure and network-based software applications, and workforce training.
For more than 25 years, Shah has held leadership positions in several private and public communities, developing and managing IT infrastructure, storage systems, networking capabilities and security. Prior to his appointment at OARnet, Shah served as the director of infrastructure for IT services at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisc.
In an earlier stint at OARnet, Shah served a pivotal role in the creation and management of the Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center (ITEC-Ohio) and as a partner in developing the Transportable Satellite Internet System, a distance-learning satellite trailer project aimed for areas where reliable Internet connectivity is unavailable.
Under Shah’s directorship, OARnet has successfully deployed an extensive statewide optical network backbone for Ohio, while creating and enhancing shared services systems, storage infrastructure, collaborative hosting services and applications through the consolidation and standardization of OARnet’s technology.
Also under his leadership, OARnet, Com Net, Inc., Horizon Telcom and OneCommunity formed the Ohio Middle Mile Consortium to create a roadmap for a seamless broadband infrastructure in Ohio. Because of this collaboration, Com Net, Inc., Horizon Telcom and OneCommunity were awarded grants that totaled $141.3 million in federal stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; OARnet was a sub-recipient to the three grants.
In recent years, Shah has identified trends in high-speed data transfer, videoconferencing and hybrid networking. He also has partnered with the private sector for economic development opportunities, and has focused on meeting the emerging needs of the education and research communities.
Having held prominent positions in the past, such as senior manager of American Society of Nondestructive Testing, engagement manager at Resource One Computer System where he managed the City of Columbus project, Shah continues to serve numerous national leadership roles in networking and broadband policies, including The Quilt and Internet2’s governance and nominations committee.
Shah received a diploma in mechanical engineering and a certification in advanced tool technology from S.B.M. Polytechnic in Bombay (Mumbai), India. With a master’s degree in computer science and information from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Shah most recently received an executive MBA from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.
