Claire's work on animal genetics involves sequencing large numbers of genomes. In her current research project, she is using Oxford Nanopore Technology to do long-read RNA sequencing. Claire collaborated with HPC@UCD experts like Omen Wild and the Food Chain IT cluster to establish an automated system for real-time data analysis. This system transfers sequence data to HPC, allowing for immediate quality checks.

This innovation saves valuable reagents and resources as well as enables the researcher to make adjustments to the project immediately if needed. Each run generates between 100 GB to 2 TB of data which is transferred to the FARM cluster and analyzed on Enterprise GPUs.

When asked about advice for newcomers to HPC, Claire suggests a hands-on approach, emphasizing the value of learning through experimentation while ensuring data backup to mitigate any missteps. In terms of challenges encountered, Claire's experience has been relatively smooth, with prompt assistance from the help desk resolving any issues that arise.

Claire's work exemplifies how HPC resources empower researchers to tackle complex genetic inquiries, driving innovation in animal science.