Flatiron Institute
Computers have been a fixture for decades in astrophysics and many other fields of science. But typically, the computer programs are written by graduate students, often abandoned after they finish their programs. "Those people aren't great coders, for the most part," Mr. Simons said.
At the Flatiron Institute, a good fraction of the staff will be professional computer programmers, producing software not only for the in-house scientists but also available for anyone else who needs it.
"These are really interesting questions, and we can think longer than the three-year grant cycle. They can tackle tough questions and put the time in that's necessary."
-- Marilyn Simons.