CIQ Employee Spotlight: Brian Phan

For a decade now, Brian Phan has immersed himself in the field of HPC engineering. Keep reading to find out what drew him to this career and CIQ, what advice he’d give to someone considering a similar path, and what side business he’d like to start up.

What's your role in the company, and what do you enjoy most about it?

I am an HPC Engineer. I enjoy that my role exposes me to a wide range of company functions from working with partners (system integrators, software vendors) to sales, marketing, product, and development. As a result, I’ve been able to grow my technical and soft skills.

How did you become interested in a career in the HPC field?

I was first introduced to HPC through an internship where I administered an HPC cluster, which was used by genomics and medical imaging labs at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. This role combined my interests in technology and healthcare. Through this experience, I saw HPC as a tool that enabled its users to make the world a better place. From there, I told myself, “If I could enable as many people as possible with this tool, I can indirectly make the world a better place,” so I ran with it ever since.

What drew you to CIQ?

Greg Kurtzer’s previous work with Singularity (now Apptainer), Warewulf, and CentOS has had a big impact on the HPC industry. If I’m optimizing my career for impact in HPC, joining Greg and CIQ is, in my opinion, the best place to make an impact.

What’s your approach when working on challenging projects?

I try to break down the problem into small consumable units of work to get myself incrementally closer to the end goal. If I am lacking in expertise to complete a particular task, I can definitely lean on my peers at CIQ for help. CIQ has a lot of talented engineers who I can go to for help.

What do you do to stay motivated and inspired in your work?

Seeing customers happy with the work we deliver to solve a problem they’ve been struggling with keeps me inspired in my work.

What advice would you give to someone considering a similar career, especially at CIQ?

Be intentional. First, understand your own strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Look for a role that plays to your strengths and interests. Identify opportunities in the role which will allow you to develop in your areas of weakness. By doing so, it will make you a more well-rounded professional who is prepared to take on any challenges that come your way.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Lately, I’ve been recipe testing and planning for a coffee business I’d like to open, which will serve Asian-inspired coffee drinks.

When I’m looking to unwind, I enjoy watching sports such as basketball, UFC, and boxing. I also enjoy watching a lot of anime.