Anirban Mandal

Anirban Mandal, Ph.D.

Director, Network Research & Infrastructure Group (NRIG)
Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

I serve as the Director for the Network Research and Infrastructure Group (NRIG) at the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am a computer systems researcher whose work sits at the intersection of distributed systems and scientific computing. At RENCI, I lead several efforts in cyberinfrastructure research in support of science.

My research interests lie in distributed systems, cloud computing, networking, and data-driven scientific workflows. I have wide-ranging expertise in resource provisioning, scheduling, performance analysis, machine learning, and anomaly detection for large-scale scientific cyberinfrastructure, next-generation networks, and experimental testbeds. I also serve as the Associate Director for CI Compass, the NSF Cyberinfrastructure Center of Excellence serving NSF Major and Mid-scale Facilities.

107publications
15funded projects
5honors & best paper awards

Research interests

  • Distributed systems
  • Cloud & edge computing
  • Networking & testbeds
  • Scientific workflows
  • Resource provisioning & scheduling
  • Performance analysis
  • ML for anomaly detection
  • Cyberinfrastructure
  • Quantum networking

Education

News

All news
  • Paper

    Three papers accepted at WORKS '26, the 21st Workshop on Workflows in Support of Large-Scale Science at SC'26 in Chicago, covering AI-assisted workflow management, decentralized scheduling, and LLM gating for multi-agent HPC scheduling.

  • Paper

    Two papers accepted at IEEE eScience 2026 in Naples, Italy: SWARM+ and AI-Assisted Computational Reproducibility on the FABRIC Testbed.

  • People

    RENCI hosted the inaugural cohort of our NSF REU Site: eight undergraduates spent the summer on networking, cybersecurity, and AI research using the FABRIC testbed (RENCI News).

  • Paper

    Kiso: A Foundation for Complex, Agentic, and Reproducible Experiments is out in Frontiers in Complex Systems.

  • Grant

    New NSF OAC award: ORION, Open Science Roadmap for Research Infrastructures, a collaboration led by the University of Notre Dame with USC/ISI, RENCI and Indiana University.

  • Grant

    New NSF REU Site that uses the FABRIC research instrument to catalyze multi-disciplinary research in networks, distributed systems, and emerging CI applications.

Current projects

All 16 projects

PegasusAI

Co-Principal Investigator

CSSI: Frameworks: Applying Artificial Intelligence Advances to the Next Generation of Workflow Management on Modern Cyberinfrastructure

National Science Foundation · Award 2513101 · 2025–2030

Website Overview

CI Compass

Co-Principal Investigator

CI CoE: CI Compass: An NSF CI Center of Excellence for Navigating the Major Facilities Data Lifecycle

National Science Foundation · Award 2127548 · 2021–2026

Website Overview

SWARM

Co-Principal Investigator

Scientific Workflow Applications on Resilient Metasystem

Department of Energy · Award DE-SC0024351 · 2023–2028

Website

CITEAM

Principal Investigator

Cyberinfrastructure Training and Education for Leveraging Advanced Electron Microscopy in Materials Science

National Science Foundation · Award 2519465 · 2025–2028

Website

REU Site: FABRIC

Principal Investigator

REU Site: Exploring the FABRIC Research Instrument to Catalyze Multi-disciplinary Research in Networks, Distributed Systems, and Emerging CI Applications

National Science Foundation · Award 2447441 · 2025–2028

Website Overview

ORION

Principal Investigator (UNC)

Collaborative Research: Cross-Cutting Improvements: Open Science Roadmap for Research Infrastructures

National Science Foundation · Award 2531701 · 2025–2028

See all 16 projects, current and past

Selected publications

All 107 publications

Recent

  1. SWARM+: Scalable and Resilient Multi-Agent Consensus for Decentralized Data-Aware Workload Management

    K. Thareja, K. Raghavan, H. Safri, A. Mandal, and E. Deelman

    22nd IEEE International Conference on eScience (eScience), Naples, Italy, September 2026 ConferenceTo appear

  2. AI-Assisted Computational Reproducibility on the FABRIC Testbed

    K. Thareja, P. Ruth, B. Aldikacti, A. Mandal, and M. Zink

    22nd IEEE International Conference on eScience (eScience), Naples, Italy, September 2026 ConferenceTo appear

  3. Kiso: A Foundation for Complex, Agentic, and Reproducible Experiments

    R. Mayani, K. Vahi, M. Rynge, K. Thareja, X. Casas-Moreno, H. Jin, A. Mandal, F. Lordan, K. Raghavan, R. M. Badia, and E. Deelman

    Frontier Complex Systems, 4:1800335. doi: 10.3389/fcpxs.2026.1800335, July 2026 JournalPaper

  4. AeroResQ: Edge-accelerated UAV framework for scalable, resilient and collaborative escape route planning in wildfire scenarios

    Suman Raj, Radhika Mittal, Rajiv Mayani, Pawel Zuk, Anirban Mandal, Michael Zink, Yogesh Simmhan, and Ewa Deelman

    Future Generation Computer Systems, Volume 183, 2026, 108579, ISSN 0167-739X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2026.108579, May 2026 JournalPaper

  5. Ship-to-Shore Network Monitoring: The Research Vessel Sikuliaq Experience

    K. Thareja, A. Mandal, J. Race, P. Ruth, C. Romsos, and E. Deelman

    IEEE Internet Computing, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 77-84, doi: 10.1109/MIC.2025.3615849 Aug 2025 JournalPaper

  6. A Greedy Consensus-based Approach to Distributed Job Selection: Toward Fully-decentralized Workload Management System

    K. Thareja, K. Raghavan, A. Mandal, P. Zuk, I. Mahmud, M. Kiran, and E. Deelman

    2025 25th IEEE International Symposium on Cluster, Cloud and Internet Computing (CCGrid'25), Tromso, Norway, May 2025 ConferencePaper

  7. SWARM: Reimagining Scientific Workflow Management Systems in a Distributed World

    P. Balaprakash, K. Raghavan, F. Cappello, E. Deelman, A. Mandal, H. Jin, I. Mahmud, K. Thareja, S. Wu, P. Zuk, M. Kiran, Z. Chen, S. Di, and K. Wu

    International Journal of High Performance Computing Applications (IJHPCA), 2025;39(5):692-712. doi:10.1177/10943420251339317, May 2025 JournalPaper

  8. Large Language Models for Anomaly Detection in Computational Workflows: from Supervised Fine-Tuning to In-Context Learning

    H. Jin, G. Papadimitriou, K. Raghavan, P. Zuk, P. Balaprakash, C. Wang, A. Mandal, and E. Deelman

    2024 IEEE/ACM International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC'24), Atlanta, GA, November 2024 ConferencePaper

  9. FlyNet: Drones on the Horizon

    A. Morel, C. Qu, P. Calyam, C. Wang, K. Thareja, A. Mandal, E. Lyons, M. Zink, G. Papadimitriou, and E. Deelman

    IEEE Internet Computing, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 35-43, doi: 10.1109/MIC.2023.3260440, May-June 2023 JournalPaper

Award-winning papers

  1. Elephants Sharing the Highway: Studying TCP Fairness in Large Transfers over High Throughput Links

    I. Mahmud, G. Papadimitriou, C. Wang, M. Kiran, A. Mandal, and E. Deelman

    2023 IEEE/ACM Innovating the Network for Data-Intensive Science (INDIS) Workshop at SC'23, doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3624062.3624594, Denver, CO, Nov 2023 Workshop★ Best Paper Award, INDIS Workshop at SC'23Paper

  2. Experiments on Network Services for Video Transmission using FABRIC Instrument Resources

    A. E. Morel, P. Calyam, D. Gafurov, C. Wang, K. Thareja, A. Mandal, E. Lyons, M. Zink, G. Papadimitriou, and E. Deelman

    Proceedings of the 10th International Workshop on Computer and Networking Experimental Research using Testbeds (CNERT) in conjunction with IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM), doi:10.1109/INFOCOMWKSHPS57453.2023.10225817, New York, NY, May 2023 Workshop★ Best Paper Runner-Up, CNERT 2023Paper

  3. Automating Edge-to-cloud Workflows for Science: Traversing the Edge-to-cloud Continuum with Pegasus

    R. Tanaka, G. Papadimitriou, S. Charan, C. Wang, E. Lyons, K. Thareja, C. Qu, A. Esquivel, E. Deelman, A. Mandal, P. Calyam, and M. Zink

    2nd ACM/IEEE International workshop on Cloud-to-Things continuum: towards the convergence of IoT, Edge and Cloud Computing (Cloud2Things 2022), Taormina, Messina Italy, May 2022 Workshop★ Best Paper Award, Cloud2Things 2022Paper

  4. End-to-end online performance data capture and analysis for scientific workflows

    G. Papadimitriou, C. Wang, K. Vahi, R. Silva, A. Mandal, Z. Liu, R. Mayani, M. Rynge, M. Kiran, V. Lynch, R. Kettimuthu, E. Deelman, J. Vetter, and I. Foster

    Future Generation Computer Systems (FGCS) journal, Volume 117, Pages 387-400, April 2021 Journal★ Best Paper Award, Elsevier FGCS 2021Paper

  5. Integrity Protection for Scientific Workflow Data: Motivation and Initial Experiences

    M. Rynge, K. Vahi, E. Deelman, A. Mandal, I. Baldin, O. Bhide, R. Heiland, V. Welch, R. Hill, W. L. Poehlman, and A. F. Feltus

    Proceedings of the Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC) on Rise of the Machines (Learning), New York, NY, USA, 2019, p. 17:1–17:8., Jul 2019 Conference★ Best Paper & Phil Andrews Most Transformative Contribution Award, PEARC '19Paper

See all 107 publications

Professional service

All service
  • Workshop Co-Chair, Workshop on Workflows in Support of Large-Scale Science (WORKS), held with SC (2023–2026)
  • Member, Advisory Council, MCNC (Microelectronics Center of North Carolina)
  • Member, Advisory Committee, Midscale Experimental Research Infrastructure Forum (MERIF)
  • Program committees: SC, eScience, CCGrid, Cluster, IPDPS, Euro-Par, UCC, ICCS, and others
  • Proposal review panels: NSF, DOE, WWTF (Austria)

See all service: committees, panels, and reviewing