Sabri Pllana

Sabri Pllana is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Media Technology of the Linnaeus University in Sweden. Before joining the Linnaeus University, he worked for 12 years at the Research Group Scientific Computing of the University of Vienna in Austria. He holds a PhD degree (with distinction) in computer science from the Vienna University of Technology.

Teaching

Students that are interested for a bachelor or a master degree project should have previously completed a parallel computing course (2DV605 or equivalent). An example of completed master's degree project in parallel computing is "Accelerated Deep Learning using Intel® Xeon Phi™".

Research

Sabri Pllana is head of the High-performance Computing Centre at LNU. His research interests include heterogeneous computing systems, and cognitive computing techniques. He also studies properties of various kinds of socio-technical systems (such as, health-care systems) using innovative modelling and simulation techniques. He contributed to several EU-funded projects and he coordinated the FP7 project PEPPHER.

Commissions

Sabri Pllana is Senior Member of the IEEE (# 80432603), associate editor of Computing journal (Springer), member of the European Network on High Performance and Embedded Architecture and Compilation (HiPEAC), member of the European ICT COST Action (IC1406) on High-Performance Modelling and Simulation for Big Data Applications (cHiPSet), associate member of ETP4HPC, and member of the Euro-Par Advisory Board.

My research groups and projects

Publications

Article in journal (Refereed)

Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2018). PAPA : A Parallel Programming Assistant Powered by IBM Watson Cognitive Computing Technology. Journal of Computational Science. 26. 275-284.
Achilleos, A., Mettouris, C., Yeratziotis, A., Papadopoulos, G., Pllana, S., et al. (2018). SciChallenge: A Social Media Aware Platform for Contest-Based STEM Education and Motivation of Young Students. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.
Memeti, S., Pllana, S., Binotto, A., Kołodziej, J., Brandic, I. (2018). Using meta-heuristics and machine learning for software optimization of parallel computing systems : a systematic literature review. Computing. 1-44.
Grzonka, D., Jakobik, A., Kołodziej, J., Pllana, S. (2018). Using a Multi-Agent System and Artificial Intelligence for Monitoring and Improving the Cloud Performance and Security. Future generations computer systems. 86. 1106-1117.
Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2018). A machine learning approach for accelerating DNA sequence analysis. The international journal of high performance computing applications. 32. 363-379.
Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2017). Combinatorial optimization of DNA sequence analysis on heterogeneous systems. Concurrency and Computation. 29.
Viebke, A., Memeti, S., Pllana, S., Abraham, A. (2017). CHAOS : A Parallelization Scheme for Training Convolutional Neural Networks on Intel Xeon Phi. Journal of Supercomputing.
Pllana, S., Barhen, J. (2013). Introduction to the computing special issue : performance portability and tuning for multi-coreand many-core computing systems. Computing. 96. 1113-1114.
Sandrieser, M., Benkner, S., Pllana, S. (2012). Using explicit platform descriptions to support programming of heterogeneous many-core systems. Parallel Computing. 38. 52-65.
Xhafa, F., Pllana, S., Barolli, L., Spaho, E. (2011). Grid and P2P middleware for wide-area parallel processing. Concurrency and Computation. 23. 458-476.
Benkner, S., Pllana, S., Träff, J., Tsigas, P., Dolinsky, U., et al. (2011). PEPPHER : Efficient and Productive Usage of HybridComputing Systems. IEEE Micro. 31. 28-41.
Pllana, S. (2010). European Multicore Processing Projects : PEPPHER. IEEE Micro. 30. 99-99.
Pllana, S., Benkner, S., Xhafa, F., Barolli, L. (2009). A Novel Approach for Hybrid Performance Modelingand Prediction of Large-Scale Computing Systems. International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing (IJGUC). 1. 316-327.
Pllana, S., Benkner, S., Xhafa, F., Barolli, L. (2009). Automatic Performance Model Transformation from a Human-intuitive to a Machine-efficient Form. Scalable Computing: Practice and Experience (SCPE). 10. 35-47.
Brandic, I., Pllana, S., Benkner, S. (2008). Specification, Planning, and Execution of QoS-awareGrid Workflows within the Amadeus Environment. Concurrency and Computation. 20. 331-345.
Pllana, S., Brandic, I., Benkner, S. (2008). A Survey of the State of the Art in Performance Modelingand Prediction of Parallel and Distributed Computing Systems. International Journal of Computational Intelligence Research (IJCIR). 4. 17-26.
Brandic, I., Pllana, S., Benkner, S. (2006). An approach for the high-level specification of QoS-aware grid workflows considering location affinity. Scientific Programming. 14. 231-250.
Fahringer, T., Jugravu, A., Pllana, S., Prodan, R., Seragiotto Jr., C., et al. (2005). ASKALON : a tool set for clusterand Grid computing. Concurrency and Computation. 17. 143-169.

Conference paper (Refereed)

Memeti, S., Pllana, S., Binotto, A., Kołodziej, J., Brandic, I. (2018). A Review of Machine Learning and Meta-heuristic Methods for Scheduling Parallel Computing Systems. Proceedings of the International Conference on Learning and Optimization Algorithms: Theory and Applications LOPAL 2018.
Perez, D., Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2018). A simulation study of a smart living IoT solution for remote elderly care. 2018 Third International Conference on Fog and Mobile Edge Computing (FMEC). 227-232.
Huber, F., Jäger, B., Pllana, S., Hrdlicka, Z., Mettouris, C., et al. (2017). Pushing Stem-Education through a Social-Media-Based Contest Format - Experiences and Lessons-Learned from the H2020-Project SciChallenge. INTED2017 Proceedings : 11th International Technology, Education and Development Conference. 334-344.
Weyns, D., Caporuscio, M., Andersson, J., Ericsson, M., Pllana, S., et al. (2017). Software Technology for Self-Adaptive Systems. Swedsoft's Software Technology Exchange Workshop, 18-19 oktober, 2017, Stockholm.
Chozas, A.C., Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2017). Using Cognitive Computing for Learning Parallel Programming : An IBM Watson Solution. International Conference on Computational Science (ICCS 2017). 2121-2130.
Memeti, S., Li, L., Pllana, S., Kołodziej, J., Kessler, C. (2017). Benchmarking OpenCL, OpenACC, OpenMP, and CUDA : Programming Productivity, Performance, and Energy Consumption. ProceedingARMS-CC '17 Proceedings of the 2017 Workshop on Adaptive Resource Management and Scheduling for Cloud Computing. 1-6.
Pllana, S., Huber, F., Hrdlicka, Z., Mettouris, C., Veber, A., et al. (2016). SciChallenge : Using Student-Generated Content and Contests to Enhance the Interest for Science Education and Careers. Conference Proceedings : New Perspectives in Science Education, 5th edition. 237-243.
Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2016). Combinatorial Optimization of Work Distribution on Heterogeneous Systems. Proceedings of 45th International Conference on Parallel Processing Workshops (ICPPW 2016). 151-160.
Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2015). Analyzing large-scale DNA Sequences on Multi-core Architectures. Proceedings : IEEE 18th International Conferenceon Computational Science and Engineering, CSE 2015. 208-215.
Abraham, E., Bekas, C., Brandic, I., Genaim, S., Johnsen, E., et al. (2015). Preparing HPC Applications for Exascale : Challenges and Recommendations. Proceedings : 2015 18th International Conference on Network-Based Information Systems, NBiS 2015. 401-406.
Viebke, A., Pllana, S. (2015). The Potential of the Intel ^(R) Xeon Phi ^(TM) for Supervised Deep Learning. Proceedings : 2015 IEEE 17th International Conference on High Performance Computing and Communications, 2015 IEEE 7th International Symposium on Cyberspace Safety and Security & 2015 IEEE 12th International Conference on Embedded Software and Systems. 758-765.
Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2015). Accelerating DNA Sequence Analysis using Intel^(R) Xeon Phi^(TM). 2015 IEEE TRUSTCOM/BIGDATASE/ISPA. 222-227.
Weyns, D., Shevtsov, S., Pllana, S. (2014). Providing Assurances for Self-Adaptation in a Mobile Digital Storytelling Application Using ActivFORMS. 2014 IEEE Eighth International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems (SASO) : Date 8-12 Sept. 2014. 110-119.
Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2014). PaREM : a Novel Approach for Parallel Regular Expression Matching. 2014 IEEE 17th International Conference on Computational Science and Engineering (CSE). 690-697.
Pllana, S., Weyns, D. (2013). Beyond Directive-Based Languages for Heterogeneous Computing Systems. CHIST-ERA Conference, June 13-14, 2013, Brussels (Belgium).
Weyns, D., Pllana, S. (2013). Towards a Holistic Approach for Engineering Self-Adaptive Computing Systems. CHIST-ERA Conference, 13-14 June, 2013, Brussels (Belgium).
Dokulil, J., Bajrovic, E., Pllana, S., Sandrieser, M., Bachmayer, B. (2013). High-level Support for Hybrid Parallel Execution of C++ Applications Targeting Intel® Xeon Phi™ Coprocessors. Procedia Computer Science. 2508-2511.
Kessler, C., Dastgeer, U., Majeed, M., Furmento, N., Thibault, S., et al. (2012). Leveraging PEPPHER Technology for Performance Portable Supercomputing. Proceedings 2012 SC Companion : High Performance Computing, Networking Storage and Analysis SC Companion 2012. 1395-1396.
Kessler, C., Dastgeer, U., Thibault, S., Namyst, R., Richards, A., et al. (2012). Programmability and performance portability aspects of heterogeneous multi-/manycore systems. Proceedings Design, Automation & Test in Europe : Dresden, Germany, March 12-16, 2012. 1402-1408.
Benkner, S., Pllana, S., Träff, J., Tsigas, P., Richards, A., et al. (2012). The PEPPHER Approach to Programmability andPerformance Portability for Heterogeneous many-core Architectures. Applications, Tools and Techniques on the Road to Exascale Computing. 361-368.
Pllana, S., Janciak, I., Brezany, P., Wöhrer, A. (2011). A Survey of the State of the Art in Data Mining andIntegration Query Languages. 2011 International Conference on Network-Based Information Systems. 341-348.
Sandrieser, M., Benkner, S., Pllana, S. (2011). Improving programmability of heterogeneous many-core systems via explicit platform descriptions. Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Multicore Software Engineering. 17-24.
Pllana, S., Méhaut, J., Ayguade, E., Cornelius, H., Barhen, J. (2011). Introduction : Multicore and Manycore Programming. Euro-Par 2011 Parallel Processing : 17th International Conference, Euro-Par 2011, Bordeaux, France, August 29 - September 2, 2011, Proceedings, Part II. 110-111.
Sandrieser, M., Benkner, S., Pllana, S. (2011). Explicit Platform Descriptions for Heterogeneous Many-Core Architectures. IEEE International Symposium on Parallel and Distributed Processing Workshops and Phd Forum. 1292-1299.
Alam Khan, F., Han, Y., Pllana, S., Brezany, P. (2010). An Ant-Colony-Optimization Based Approach for Determination of Parameter Significance of Scientific Workflows. 24th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications. 1241-1248.
Xhafa, F., Pllana, S., Barolli, L. (2010). Grid and P2P Middleware for Scientific Computing Systems. 2010 International Conference on Complex, Intelligent and Software Intensive Systems. 409-414.
Alam Khan, F., Han, Y., Pllana, S., Brezany, P. (2009). Estimation of Parameters Sensitivity for Scientific Workflows. 2009 International Conference on Parallel Processing Workshops. 457-462.
Sandrieser, M., Pllana, S., Benkner, S. (2009). Evaluation of the SUN UltraSparc T2+ Processor for Computational Science. Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Computational Science. 964-973.
Pllana, S., Benkner, S., Mehofer, E., Natvig, L., Xhafa, F. (2009). Towards an Intelligent Environment for Programming Multi-core Computing Systems. Euro-Par 2008 Workshop - Parallel Processing : VHPC 2008, UNICORE 2008, HPPC 2008, SGS 2008, PROPER 2008, ROIA 2008, and DPA 2008, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, August 25-26, 2008, Revised Selected Papers. 141-151.
Pllana, S., Benkner, S., Xhafa, F., Barolli, L. (2008). Hybrid Performance Modeling and Prediction of Large-Scale Computing Systems. International Conference on Complex, Intelligent and Software Intensive Systems, 2008. 132-138.
Pllana, S., Benkner, S., Xhafa, F., Barolli, L. (2008). Automatic Performance Model Transformation from UML to C++. Proceedings of the International Conference on Parallel Processing Workshops. 228-235.
Alam Khan, F., Han, Y., Pllana, S., Brezany, P. (2008). Provenance Support for Grid-Enabled Scientific Workflows. Fourth International Conference on Semantics, Knowledge and Grid. 173-180.

Chapter in book (Refereed)

Benkner, S., Pllana, S., Träff, J., Tsigas, P., Richards, A., et al. (2017). Peppher : Performance Portability and Programmability for Heterogeneous Many-Core Architectures. Programming multi-core and many-core computing systems. John Wiley & Sons. 243-260.
Memeti, S., Pllana, S., Kołodziej, J. (2016). Optimal Worksharing of DNA Sequence Analysis on Accelerated Platforms. Resource Management for Big Data Platforms : Algorithms, Modelling, and High-Performance Computing Techniques. Springer. 279-309.
Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2016). Work Distribution of Data-Parallel Applications on Heterogeneous Systems. High Performance Computing : ISC High Performance 2016 International Workshops, ExaComm, E-MuCoCoS, HPC-IODC, IXPUG, IWOPH, P^3MA, VHPC, WOPSSS, Frankfurt, Germany, June 19–23, 2016, Revised Selected Papers. Springer. 69-81.
Pllana, S., Benkner, S., Mehofer, E., Natvig, L., Xhafa, F. (2010). Agent-supported Programming of Multi-core Computing Systems. Complex Intelligent Systems and Their Applications. Springer. 207-224.
Brandic, I., Pllana, S., Benkner, S. (2009). Specification, Planning, and Execution of QoS-aware Grid Workflows. Market-Oriented Grid and Utility Computing. John Wiley & Sons. 309-334.
Pllana, S., Benkner, S., Xhafa, F., Barolli, L. (2009). Hybrid Performance Modeling and Prediction of Large-Scale Parallel Systems. Parallel Programming, Models and Applications in Grid and P2P Systems. IOS Press. 54-82.

Conference paper (Other academic)

Memeti, S., Pllana, S. (2015). The Potential of Intel Xeon Phi for DNA Sequence Analysis. ACACES 2015 : Advanced Computer Architecture and Compilation for High-Performance and Embedded Systems. 263-266.
Kessler, C., Dastgeer, U., Majeed, M., Furmento, N., Thibault, S., et al. (2012). Poster: Leveraging PEPPHER Technology for Performance Portable Supercomputing. High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SCC), 2012 SC Companion. 1397-1397.