Jeff Haferman
Researcher, innovator, and advocate for science, policy, and people.
About Me
I’m a computational and data scientist with over two decades of experience spanning high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence, and complex systems. My work blends hands-on technical expertise with strategic leadership, from building research infrastructure and leading supercomputing teams to deploying cutting-edge AI and blockchain systems.
Since 2006, I’ve directed HPC and Research Computing initiatives, overseeing everything from Linux clusters and engineering workflows to large-scale infrastructure design. More recently, my focus has included accelerated computing with GPUs, infrastructure automation, and blockchain-based platforms — including real-world deployments on networks like Ethereum, NEAR, and Celo.
I hold a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Chicago and earned both my M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Iowa. Along the way, I was honored to serve as a NASA Global Change Fellow and conducted postdoctoral research at NASA Goddard.
Outside of formal roles, I’ve contributed to mathematical curiosities like the Haferman Carpet, co-authored environmental analyses, and published scientific research in multiple domains. Below, you’ll find a few highlights from my work — academic, technical, and occasionally offbeat. Feel free to browse, or reach out if something sparks your interest.
Haferman Carpet
I created the “Haferman Carpet” as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, likely around 1984, while working on a homework assignment under the guidance of Professor Jeffrey Shallit. It’s a self-similar fractal that has since gained attention in the mathematical community. Wolfram MathWorld View description on Wolfram MathWorld provides a detailed description of its recursive structure. A colorized version of the carpet appears on the cover of the book Automatic Sequences by Allouche and Shallit. Moreover, for those deeply interested in mathematical sequences, the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS) View sequence A118005 on OEIS includes a dedicated entry for the Haferman Carpet and its numeric properties.
Erdös Number
My Erdös Number is 4: I co-authored a paper with Benjamin Kedem, who published with Eric V. Slud, who collaborated with Robert W. Chen, who co-authored directly with Paul Erdös. I don’t yet have an Erdös–Bacon number, though I suppose there’s still time. For those interested in my academic work, my Google Scholar View my Google Scholar profile page contains most of my citations, and my resume View my resume offers a current overview of my research and experience.
Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM)
The “Light Brown Apple Moth” (LBAM) controversy is outlined in this Wikipedia article Read the full article on Wikipedia . The U.S. EPA and California Department of Food and Agriculture believed LBAM posed a serious threat to crops and authorized aerial spraying of a so-called “non-toxic” pesticide, which was carried out twice in 2007 over populated areas of Monterey County. I co-authored a paper with Dr. Dennis Knepp showing that the fine particles in the spray posed a health hazard. The CDFA lost several lawsuits and ultimately abandoned the program. To date, no significant crop damage has been linked to LBAM. Our analysis and related correspondence are available in a PDF document View our analysis and correspondence .
Connect with Me
I'm always open to new conversations and collaborations.
Send me an email: jeff.haferman at gmail.com