Bronson Messer II

Bronson Messer II is a Distinguished Staff Scientist and Director of Science at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Additionally, he holds a joint faculty appointment as a Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Tennessee. His work focuses on enabling high-impact computational science through leadership-class computing resources.

Messer’s research spans supernova explosion mechanisms, neutrino transport, dense matter physics, and turbulent nuclear combustion. He also applies machine learning algorithms to galaxy merger simulations and develops performance modeling frameworks for high-performance computing (HPC) architectures.

Recent publications highlight his leadership in HPC, including efforts toward exascale computing (e.g., Ready for the Frontier, 2023) and supernova simulations (e.g., Chimera, 2020). He has contributed to the DOE Integrated Research Programs and the Frontier Exascale System initiatives.

Scientific Awards:

• Department of Energy Secretary’s Honor Award (2020)
• Oak Ridge Postdoctoral Association Mentor of the Year (2020)
• R&D 100 Award – Flash-X (software category, 2022)

Messer is affiliated with the ORCID network and collaborates with directorates such as the Computing and Computational Sciences Directorate, National Center for Computational Sciences, and the Physics Division at ORNL.