Dr. Baboucarr Dibba, a Gambian-born mathematician and data scientist, has been named a Faculty Research Affiliate at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), a global leader in scientific innovation. This prestigious appointment marks a significant milestone in Dr. Dibba’s career, highlighting his contributions to climate science, artificial intelligence (AI), and global collaboration.
As an Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Data Science at the College of Coastal Georgia (CCGA), Dr. Dibba joins Berkeley Lab’s Computer Languages and Systems Software (CLaSS) Group, led by his mentor, Dr. Damian Rouson, the Lab’s 2024 Developer of the Year.
Together, they are advancing climate modeling through the use of neural-network surrogate models for the Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research (ICAR) model. Their work supports the development of Fiats, a Fortran-based deep-learning library for high-performance computing, enhancing aerosol-microphysics inference for the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) and the Department of Energy’s next-generation Earth System Model (ESM3).
Dr. Dibba’s research focuses on making climate simulations faster, more accurate, and cost-efficient on supercomputers, addressing critical global challenges. His expertise has earned him international recognition, with presentations at major conferences, including SC24 at Georgia Tech, QIP 2025 at North Carolina State University, the LatMath Conference at UCLA, the CIMPA-CIMAT Workshop in Mexico, and the National Meeting on Non-Archimedean Analysis in Colombia. These platforms showcase his work on p-adic cellular neural networks, quantum-enabled AI, and advanced climate-modeling techniques.
At CCGA, Dr. Dibba bridges academia and real-world applications, teaching courses on AI-based climate prediction and mentoring students in applied mathematics and computational science. His journey from The Gambia to a leading role at Berkeley Lab underscores the global impact of African scientists.
“Science is a global language. When we collaborate across borders, we unlock solutions that benefit everyone,” Dr. Dibba said.
Dr. Dibba’s appointment strengthens Berkeley Lab’s mission to address pressing scientific challenges through interdisciplinary innovation, cementing his role as a rising star in climate and computational research.
He recently completed a Ph.D. in Mathematical Statistics and Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). He has been affiliated with the Lab for two years as a student researcher and will continue as a faculty affiliate after his graduation.
He focused on developing neural network surrogate models to accelerate the Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research (ICAR) model, a part of AMCR’s Computer Languages and Systems Software (CLaSS) Group.
Dibba says the most exciting aspect of his research is seeing how the Lab bridges scientific computing and AI to solve real-world problems.
