“Women in HPC need more visibility”
“Women in HPC need more visibility”
Sometimes it’s good to be invisible – for example, when the ticket inspector shows up while you’re fare dodging. But as an expert for high-performance computing (HPC), visibility is essential for a career. That’s exactly what Tina Marc is committed to. She is a co-founder of the Central European Chapter of the global initiative Women in HPC (WHPC). In this interview, the IT project manager explains what women can expect from the community.
Tina, you are co-founder of the Central European chapter of Women in HPC. If someone is keen to help women in HPC, what would be the most important first steps?
The first step is actually to become informed about the challenges women face. The most important challenge is lack of visibility. There are so many amazing women working in HPC – whether as engineers or researchers – but many of them are still hidden in the background. One of our appeals is: let’s give those women a voice and visibility.
You can find all the information on our website womeninhpc.com. Anyone can simply join the initiative by registering and helping us to promote and advocate for the importance of women working in the STEM / IT field.
Organisations can support women in tech areas in a way they offer mentorship or support networking. Another option is to help young talents with their careers by giving talks, for example. Engaging girls and women in promotional actions is also an option.
And that’s really all it takes. We would really like to encourage and inspire young women out there: be yourself, express yourself – and be brave. Working in IT might seem to be hard sometimes. Sometimes we’re just a little scared of it until we dive in and find it valuable, useful. It is such a wide field, and it offers so many great opportunities to make the world a better place. It’s definitely worth giving it a chance.
What services does WHPC offer to address the challenges women in IT face?
WHPC advocates for women in HPC through various actions, such as:
- Mentorship & networking: We help connect women in HPC with industry leaders and researchers.
- Workshops & training: We offer skill-building sessions at events and conferences to help women shine.
- Career support: Through participation in panels, talks, and coaching to help navigate career challenges.
- Visibility & advocacy: We promote women’s work in HPC through talks, publications, and leadership opportunities.
The Central European chapter also focuses on regional outreach, offering local support and networking.
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I hope to see more women in leadership roles, a stronger focus on inclusive hiring, and better support for early-career researchers.
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What are your hopes for WHPC and the future of diversity in HPC?
I hope to see more women in leadership roles, a stronger focus on inclusive hiring, and better support for early-career researchers. WHPC should continue to grow and help ensure that the next generation of HPC professionals reflects the diversity of the broader tech industry.
With WHPC you also celebrate the achievements of your female colleagues. What was your most recent personal success?
One of my proudest achievements has been leading communication and dissemination activities for outstanding EU R&D projects such as EuroCC2 and FFplus. Beyond my work in R&D, I’m actively involved in corporate communication and creative projects that merge technology, art, and tourism. From representing my employer Arctur at EXPO Dubai and Japan to developing the BulevAR app – part of the European Capital of Culture in Nova Gorica and Gorizia – I’m passionate about using technology to create meaningful experiences and lasting impact.
How more diversity in high-performance computing benefits everyone
Supercomputing plays a central role in modern research. When people with different perspectives work together at high-performance computing centres, this diversity has far-reaching effects: more inclusive product designs, better data and more representative science. Diverse teams usually develop solutions that serve the majority of the population – not just half of it.
About Tina Marc
Tina Marc is an IT project manager at Arctur, a Slovenian high-tech company. Coming from a PR background, Tina discovered the fascinating world of high-performance computing at Arctur – and today she combines marketing expertise with the technical side of HPC.
Arctur actively supports gender diversity across all its teams: 43% of employees are women, and nearly 67% of the management board is female. The growing number of female programmers, DevOps engineers, and IT project managers brings fresh perspectives to the team – and this diversity is a key driver of Arctur’s success.
Join WHPC and connect with women in ICT
To become a member of the Central European Chapter of WHPC, apply here. Tick the box “Central European (incl. centres in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary)” to become a member of the Central European Chapter.
If you have any questions about the Central European Network of WHPC, feel free to contact the team at ce.whpc@gmail.com.
One of WHPC’s most valuable tools for supporting women’s careers is the free mentoring programme, which runs two to three times a year. Register here for one of the next available spots.
WHPC on LinkedIn (following on LinkedIn is not a membership)