Matt Berry
Shelley Wagner
Carl Edwards
Researcher Spotlight: Matt Berry
Matt Berry is an the lead research software engineer at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois who has been leading a team of NCSA researchers to support the development and deployment of MMLI AlphaSynthesis tool suit. [Click to read more]
What is your background/what did you do before your current role?
I’ve been creating software to support research, in both academia and industry, for twenty-some years.
What is your current position/short description of what you are working on right now with MMLI.
I work with the rest of MMLI’s NCSA team to design, build, and maintain software for all of the Institute. That includes public resources, like AlphaSynthesis and the Digital Molecule Maker, as well as internal resources, like research databases and tools. We’re working on a few things now in “stealth mode” that we’re excited to release soon–stay tuned to the MMLI Newsletters!
What drew you to MMLI (or your lab)?
MMLI is a perfect fit for NCSA’s mission, vision, and purpose. We find it immensely rewarding to apply our talents toward projects like this.
What has been your favorite part of being a part of MMLI?
Everyone says, “the people,” and everyone is right! Because NCSA is involved with all of the thrusts, I’ve been fortunate to work with and learn from many, many members of the Institute.
How do you like to spend your free time?
My wife and I foster a lot of dogs. It’s fun and forces me to step away from the computer now and then.
Fun fact (or extremely average fact) about yourself you would like to share.
I have an IMDB page! One has to scroll pretty far down the list of “Matt Berry”s to find it, though.
Staff Spotlight: Shelley Wagner
Shelley Wagner is Visiting Education Lead in Thrust 5 (Workforce Development). Before joining MMLI, she was a high school science teacher for 14 years with background in special education. [Click to read more]
What is your background and describe your current work/role/lab and the project you are most excited to be working on right now.
As the Visiting Education Lead, I am currently focused on curriculum development and promoting the MMLI curriculum in preparation for its Fall 2025 launch. In addition, I’m working on educational outreach programs like Cena y Ciencias and the Molecule Maker Summer Camp to engage and inspire future learners in the field of science and molecular education.
What drew you to your project and/or MMLI?
What drew me to my new role was the opportunity to combine my passion for education with my interest in innovative science and curriculum development. I was excited about the chance to work with the MMLI team and contribute to creating impactful educational experiences, especially through programs like Cena y Ciencias and Molecule Maker Summer Camp. The ability to promote and shape the curriculum for the upcoming Fall 2025 launch also felt like a perfect opportunity to make a lasting impact on students and educators alike.
What has been your favorite part of being a part of MMLI?
My favorite part of being a part of MMLI is the collaborative and innovative environment. It’s incredibly rewarding to work alongside passionate individuals who are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of education in science.
How do you like to spend your free time? (or what would you do for fun if you had more free time!)
In my free time, I enjoy hiking, spending time in nature, and tending to my garden.
Fun fact (or extremely average fact) about yourself you would like to share.
A fun fact about me is that I’ve been a dedicated volunteer at an animal shelter for years, and I’ve had the chance to help care for and find homes for many adorable pets—it’s one of the highlights of my free time!
Scholar Spotlight: Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards is a graduate student in Heng Ji’s group at the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, University of Illinois. Carl is currently prototyping the new mCLM model in MMLI. He has a double major in honors computer science and honors mathematics from the University of Tennessee and is planning to graduate from his PhD at Illinois this year. [Click to read more]
What is your background and describe your current work/role/lab and the project you are most excited to be working on right now.
I was a undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where I double majored in honors computer science and honors mathematics.
What drew you to your project and/or MMLI?
During undergrad, I became very interested in multimodality, and I also conducted research on molecular dynamics simulations. I became interested in my lab because of the interesting work they were doing in vision-language multimodality, as well as using knowledge graphs. During my first year in the lab, I became interested in the MMLI because of my prior experience with both multimodal AI research and molecular simulation research. Very quickly, I realized that molecule-language multimodality hadn’t been explored, so I began working on that and its become the focus of my PhD!
What has been your favorite part of being a part of MMLI?
I love how I get to collaborate with experts in all kinds of different scientific disciplines. I get to work on very interdisciplinary research as part of the MMLI, which is really unique and exciting to work on!
How do you like to spend your free time? (or what would you do for fun if you had more free time!)
I enjoy singing, birdwatching, ballroom dance, and exercising. I also enjoy playing games with my friends.
Fun fact (or extremely average fact) about yourself you would like to share.
My eyes appear to be different colors depending on the background light!