Introduction
Agentic systems, in which autonomous agents collaborate to solve complex problems, are emerging as a transformative methodology in AI. However, adapting agentic architectures to scientific cyberinfrastructure — spanning HPC systems, experimental facilities, and federated data repositories — introduces new technical challenges. Join us at ISC 2026 for a half-day tutorial, where we will introduce participants to the design, deployment, and management of scalable agentic systems for scientific discovery. We will present Academy, a Python-based middleware platform built to support agentic workflows across heterogeneous research environments. Participants will learn core agentic system concepts, including asynchronous execution models, stateful agent orchestration, and dynamic resource management. A guided hands-on session will help attendees build and launch their own agentic workflows. We will present case studies in materials discovery, biology, and chemistry. This tutorial is designed for researchers, developers, and cyberinfrastructure professionals interested in advancing AI-driven science with next-generation autonomous systems. To attend the tutorial, you need to register to attend ISC.
Tutorial materials
Code
The code for the tutorial is available in the
GitHub repository. Clone the repository and
check out the isc-26 branch for the environment specific to this tutorial.
(Note: the branch will be available closer to the tutorial date.)
Slides
Slides for the Academy Tutorial ISC 2026
Participant requirements
Participants need intermediate knowledge of coding in Python, and a laptop where they can write and run Python code. A test Linux environment for remote computing and access to an inference service will be provided to attendees of the tutorial. (If completing the tutorial independently, instructions for setting up the test environment will be provided, and a different inference service can be used.)
Schedule (tentative)
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9:00 | Introduction |
| 9:00 – 9:30 | Academy Overview |
| 9:30 – 10:00 | Hands-on: Getting Started |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Break |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Hands-on: Remote Agents |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Hands-on: Battleship |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | Demo: What’s Next |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Wrap Up |