Robert White is the data infrastructure scientist for the Materials, Chemical, and Computational Science Directorate at NREL. In this role, he works to facilitate automated data collection, big data infrastructure development, machine learning analysis, large-scale time series database deployments and management, and instrumentation integration and control. White has a background in hardware and experimental science and has experience working across several diverse fields: analysis of plasma structures in fusion reactors, robotic telescope systems for autonomous imaging, particle accelerator operation and control, sensor calibration and development, and data management and accessibility.

Research Interests

Development, operations, and analysis in support of the large-scale time series database for the PV Fleet program

Integration of heterogeneous instrumentation from across multiple directorates for autonomous data harvesting and management

Advanced control systems for instrumentation that can dynamically reconfigure user interfaces based on detected hardware changes

Education

M.S., Astrophysics, University of Texas at Austin

B.S., Astrophysics, New Mexico Tech

Professional Experience

Advisory Board Member, Escape Dynamics (2014–2015)

Staff Scientist, Los Alamos National Laboratory (Astrophysics Team, nonproliferation and international security) (2001–2008)

Designer/Programmer, Ion Storm-Austin—computer game: “Deus Ex” (1999–2001)

Designer/Programmer, Origin Systems—computer games: “Ultima IX,” “Ultima Online” (1994–1999)

Research Engineer, University of Texas Fusion Research Center (1991–1994)

Associations and Memberships

Member, United States Research Software Engineer Association

Member, American Physical Society

Member, American Astronomical Society (past)

Featured Work

Research Data Infrastructure for High-Throughput Experimental Materials Science, Patterns (2021)

Energy Material Network Data Hubs: Software Platforms for Advancing Collaborative Energy Materials Research, International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications (2021)

An Open Experimental Database for Exploring Inorganic Materials, Nature–Scientific Data (2018)

Energy Input and Response From Prompt and Early Optical Afterglow Emission in Gamma-Ray Bursts, Nature (2006) 

A Link Between Prompt Optical and Prompt Gamma-Ray Emission in Gamma-Ray Bursts, Nature (2005)

Performance Index Assessment for the PV Fleet Performance Data Initiative, IEEE 48th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (2021)

PV Fleet Performance Data Initiative: March 2020 Methodology Report, NREL Technical Report (2020)