Confab25 Program

Confab25 will feature a wide array of dynamic speakers, panels, and discussions, featuring experts from ESnet and across the DOE science ecosystem.

Schedule Overview

Scroll down for detailed agenda.

Monday, April 7, 2025

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

8:00AM5:00PM Plenary Sessions: 

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

8:00AM5:00PM Plenary Sessions:

Thursday, April 10, 2025 

Keynote Speakers

Benjamin Brown, DOE ASCR

The Director of the Facilities Division of the Advanced Scientific Computing Research program, Dr. Ben Brown will provide an update on ASCR's vision to meet evolving Office of Science needs. Ben will also join ESnet Executive Director Inder Monga for a discussion on the future of advanced data networking. 

William Collins, Berkeley Lab

Dr. Bill Collins will give a keynote during Monday's dinner on the advancement of atmospheric modeling capabilities through application of a fully integrated research infrastructure. Bill is the Associate Laboratory Director of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Jana Thayer, SLAC

Dr. Jana Thayer will give a keynote talk Wednesday morning on IRI-enabled science at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). Jana is the Division Director for the LCLS Data Systems at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Ian Foster, Argonne National Lab

Dr. Ian Foster will give a keynote Wednesday afternoon on advancing artificial intelligence (AI) for science. Ian is the Director of the Data Science and Learning Division at Argonne National Laboratory.

Plenary Sessions

Confab25 plenary session schedule is provided below.

All plenary sessions will be held in the Fairmont San Francisco Grand Ballroom.

Monday, April 7, 2025

Registration Check In12:00PM1:00PM (Grand Ballroom Foyer)


Afternoon — 1:00PM–5:00PM (Grand Ballroom)

Future Visions & Directions: State-of-the-art networking for science

Description: Join us for the Confab25 opening session to hear from DOE and ESnet leadership about updates and future directions for ESnet to meet the rapidly advancing requirements of large-scale integrated DOE scientific research. The opening session will include dinner and a keynote speaker.


Evening/Dinner — 5:30PM–7:30PM (Crown Room)

Monday dinner will be provided as part of the meeting.


Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Registration Check In & Breakfast — 8:00AM–9:00AM  (Grand Ballroom Foyer)

Light breakfast will be provided.


Morning — 9:00AM–12:00PM  (Grand Ballroom)

ESnet-Enabled Science

Description: ESnet’s vision is to enable scientific progress that is unconstrained by the physical location of instruments, people, computing resources, or data. This session features ESnet collaborations with scientists and networking experts to realize this vision for specific science projects and experiments.


Lightning Talks


Lunch — 12:00PM–1:00PM

Working Lunch (lunch provided) 


Afternoon — 1:00PM–5:00PM  (Grand Ballroom)

Integrated Research Infrastructure: Updates from the Leadership Committee

Description: Members of the Integrated Research Infrastructure (IRI) Management Council will provide IRI updates and discuss opportunities to engage with IRI activities.


Not Just Fast Data: ESnet Advanced Networking Services to Enable Science

Description: How do ESnet services tie together for users to create a high performance networking system for science?


Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Registration Check In & Breakfast — 8:00AM–9:00AM  (Grand Ballroom Foyer)

Light breakfast will be provided.


Morning — 9:00AM–12:00PM (Grand Ballroom)

Integrated Research Infrastructure Workflows: Science & Technology Examples

Description: What does Integrated Research Infrastructure (IRI) look like in practice? Hear from ongoing efforts to bring research tools, infrastructure, and user facilities together seamlessly and securely in novel ways to radically accelerate discovery and innovation.


Lightning Talks


Lunch — 12:00PM–1:00PM

Working Lunch (lunch provided) 


Afternoon — 1:00PM–5:00PM  (Grand Ballroom)

The Future of DOE Scientific Computing and Data

Description: Given the increasingly large-scale science research projects involving multiple data and high performance computing facilities, how is the DOE infrastructure evolving to meet these needs?


Emerging & Evolving Technologies: Where are we headed?

Description: What are the emerging and evolving tools and technologies that will likely become part of daily use within the next five years? Where are they today, and how do we plan for wider adoption and integration?

Confab25 Closing & Thank You 


Thursday Breakout Meetings

Thursday, April 10, 2025, will include daylong working meetings for the ESnet Site Coordinators Committee (ESCC), the IRI Management Council, and EJFAT users. Please read the Thursday meeting details prior to registering.