Finding Your People in HPC: A WHPC Community Meet-Up
Tuesday, June 23, 2026 2:15 PM to 3:00 PM · 45 min. (Europe/Berlin)
Hall H, Community Stage - Ground floor
Community Meet-up
Community EngagementDiversity and Inclusion
Information
Many attendees at ISC are looking for more than just technical updates - they are looking for friendly faces, shared understanding of what it means to build a career in HPC, and opportunities to start or sustain meaningful collaborations. However, large and prestigious events like ISC can sometimes feel overwhelming or isolating, especially for those who are under-represented. Without visible communities or support structures, individuals can feel like they don’t belong or are not truly welcomed.
This is where WHPC comes in. The Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC) community is an international network of women, allies, and supporters working to advance diversity, inclusion, and belonging within the global HPC community. We exist to create a welcoming space where people can connect, share experiences, and support one another in building successful and happy careers. WHPC is all about community and ensuring that under-represented people have access to role models, support networks, and a sense of belonging that can help them thrive long-term in their careers.
This session aims to bring the WHPC community to you!
Designed for WHPC members, allies, and curious newcomers, this session offers a welcoming and engaging environment to meet friendly faces, share experiences, and connect with others. By bringing together participants from a wide range of backgrounds, roles, and cultures, it creates opportunities for meaningful exchange across the HPC community. The focus is not only on expanding professional networks, but on forming genuine connections that can support both personal and career development.
The session will take the form of a fun, informal, and interactive networking experience. Participants will move through a series of short facilitated activities designed to spark conversations and make it easy to connect with many different people. Through rotating pairs and small group discussions, attendees will be encouraged to discuss technical themes, such as current work, challenges and ideas, as well as broader topics related to community, wellbeing and inclusion. Prompt-led discussions will help guide conversations, making it easy for participants to engage at their own pace while still connecting on topics that matter.
The session will also provide opportunities to connect directly with WHPC Chapter and Affiliate leads, further strengthening the global WHPC network and highlighting the many local and regional communities that participants can engage with beyond ISC. Participants will be encouraged to continue these connections after the session, ensuring that the relationships built are not limited to a single event.
This structured but relaxed format will help to keep conversations fresh and engaging, ensuring that participants meet a wide range of individuals throughout the session, whilst reducing the pressure often associated with traditional networking. The tone will remain informal, welcoming, and accessible to everyone, ensuring that participants feel comfortable joining in whether they arrive alone or with colleagues.
At its heart, this session aims to create an experience where attendees leave with more than just contacts - they leave with a sense of belonging, having found their people in HPC. The goal is that at their next event, participants will already recognise familiar faces, feel more confident approaching others, and know where to turn for support and collaboration.
The key insight of this session is that strong communities are built through simple, meaningful interactions. By creating space for open, inclusive, and engaging networking, WHPC helps transform large conference experiences into opportunities for finding your people, and it is those people who help under-represented individuals to continue in the careers they have chosen. Attendees will leave ISC with new connections and a community they can continue to rely on throughout their careers.
This is where WHPC comes in. The Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC) community is an international network of women, allies, and supporters working to advance diversity, inclusion, and belonging within the global HPC community. We exist to create a welcoming space where people can connect, share experiences, and support one another in building successful and happy careers. WHPC is all about community and ensuring that under-represented people have access to role models, support networks, and a sense of belonging that can help them thrive long-term in their careers.
This session aims to bring the WHPC community to you!
Designed for WHPC members, allies, and curious newcomers, this session offers a welcoming and engaging environment to meet friendly faces, share experiences, and connect with others. By bringing together participants from a wide range of backgrounds, roles, and cultures, it creates opportunities for meaningful exchange across the HPC community. The focus is not only on expanding professional networks, but on forming genuine connections that can support both personal and career development.
The session will take the form of a fun, informal, and interactive networking experience. Participants will move through a series of short facilitated activities designed to spark conversations and make it easy to connect with many different people. Through rotating pairs and small group discussions, attendees will be encouraged to discuss technical themes, such as current work, challenges and ideas, as well as broader topics related to community, wellbeing and inclusion. Prompt-led discussions will help guide conversations, making it easy for participants to engage at their own pace while still connecting on topics that matter.
The session will also provide opportunities to connect directly with WHPC Chapter and Affiliate leads, further strengthening the global WHPC network and highlighting the many local and regional communities that participants can engage with beyond ISC. Participants will be encouraged to continue these connections after the session, ensuring that the relationships built are not limited to a single event.
This structured but relaxed format will help to keep conversations fresh and engaging, ensuring that participants meet a wide range of individuals throughout the session, whilst reducing the pressure often associated with traditional networking. The tone will remain informal, welcoming, and accessible to everyone, ensuring that participants feel comfortable joining in whether they arrive alone or with colleagues.
At its heart, this session aims to create an experience where attendees leave with more than just contacts - they leave with a sense of belonging, having found their people in HPC. The goal is that at their next event, participants will already recognise familiar faces, feel more confident approaching others, and know where to turn for support and collaboration.
The key insight of this session is that strong communities are built through simple, meaningful interactions. By creating space for open, inclusive, and engaging networking, WHPC helps transform large conference experiences into opportunities for finding your people, and it is those people who help under-represented individuals to continue in the careers they have chosen. Attendees will leave ISC with new connections and a community they can continue to rely on throughout their careers.
Format
on-site
