Lorena A. Barba
About Lorena A. Barba
Lorena A. Barba is a Professor at The George Washington University and serves as the Faculty Director of the GW Open Source Program Office. She advocates for open-source software and computational reproducibility, and has a strong background in engineering and applied mathematics.
Current Role at The George Washington University
Lorena A. Barba serves as the Faculty Director of the GW Open Source Program Office at The George Washington University since 2023. She has been a Professor at the university since 2019, contributing to the academic community in the Washington D.C. Metro Area. In her current role, she advocates for open-source software and open science, emphasizing the importance of computational reproducibility in research and education.
Previous Academic Positions
Barba has held several academic positions prior to her current role. She worked as an Associate Professor of Engineering and Applied Science at The George Washington University from 2013 to 2019. Before that, she was an Assistant Professor at Boston University from 2008 to 2013 and a Lecturer in Applied Mathematics at the University of Bristol from 2004 to 2010. Additionally, she served as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Bristol for one year from 2010 to 2011.
Educational Background
Barba obtained her PhD in Aeronautics from Caltech, where she studied from 1998 to 2004. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria. Her educational background provides a strong foundation for her expertise in computational methods and high-performance computing.
Contributions to Open Source and Education
Barba is a strong advocate for open-source software and has made significant contributions to open education. She developed the first massive open online course (MOOC) at George Washington University, known as NumericalMOOC, which attracted over 8,000 enrollments within three years. She has also contributed educational content to platforms such as iTunesU, YouTube, and GitHub, promoting open-education initiatives.
Leadership in Scientific Publishing
Barba holds the position of Editor-in-Chief of Computing in Science and Engineering, where she showcases her leadership in the field of scientific publishing. Her role involves overseeing the publication process and ensuring the dissemination of high-quality research in computational science and engineering.