*Position filled. Learn about current fellowship opportunities here.*
Postdoctoral Data Curation and Visualization Fellow
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), located in Boulder Colorado, is one of the world’s premier scientific institutions, with an internationally recognized staff and research program dedicated to advancing knowledge, providing community-based resources, and building human capacity in the atmospheric and related sciences. NCAR’s mission is to understand the behavior of the atmosphere and related physical, biological and social systems; to support, enhance and extend the capabilities of the university community and the broader scientific community – nationally and internationally; and to foster transfer of knowledge and technology for the betterment of life on Earth. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is NCAR’s primary sponsor, with significant additional support provided by other U.S. government agencies, other national governments and the private sector.
The NCAR Library is an integral component of our institutional mission and a recognized leader in the provision of atmospheric and Earth science resources and information services.
The NCAR Library and CLIR are partnering to hire a two-year Postdoctoral Data Curation and Visualization Fellow based in the NCAR Library. We seek applications from individuals who have completed their Ph.D. within the last five years in computer or information science, informatics, or relevant science for a two-year position working with data managers, scientists, graduate students, and Library staff. The Postdoctoral Fellow will play a key role in supporting the Library’s development of data services and our data curation research program.
Background Information
Scientific data collections at NCAR began in the mid-1960s, and have since grown continuously, encompassing long-term reference data sets, field project data sets, and climate simulation results, among other data types. In addition, multiple NCAR groups provide data tools and services. These wide-ranging efforts have largely grown via independent initiatives over time. While this has resulted in a large set of valuable services, it has also created challenges for coordinating efforts, sharing expertise, and presenting these services in a coherent fashion to members of the scientific community. Spurred by notions of ‘data access’ and ‘data integration’, NCAR is currently engaging in cross-organizational activities to increase the coordination of data services and systems. We are also investigating new methods for measuring the impact of our data services, building on traditional bibliometric techniques. As the flagship NSF facility in the geosciences, NCAR’s developments in these areas provide exemplars for the larger geoscience research community.
DUTIES INCLUDE:
Working with the Library’s Research Data Services Specialist and other data management experts within NCAR, the Postdoctoral Fellow will pursue original research, and will work with the NCAR data management staff to identify and pursue new cross-cutting initiatives to increase the coordination and connectivity (both technical and procedural) between data repositories, Library resources, and research units within NCAR. Depending on interest and expertise, the Postdoctoral Fellow may also contribute to the development and assessment of metrics related to data use and impact.
REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE:
Education and Experience:
- Ph.D. completed within the last five years with a focus related to data curation, digital scholarship, software development or data science. (e.g., data-centric research related to information science, social sciences, computer science, natural sciences, etc.)
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Demonstrated ability to establish positive and productive collaborations with diverse groups
- Effective oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with lay persons and scholars outside the Postdoctoral Fellow’s home discipline
- Knowledge and understanding of best practices, current issues, and trends in data management and curation
- Ability to work as a member of a team and as part of a diverse group
DESIRED (but not required)
- Knowledge and understanding of best practices, current issues, and trends in scholarly communication, open access publishing, and data publishing
- Experience managing projects with complex workloads and dynamic casts of participants
- Experience in teaching and outreach, communication, and collaborating with faculty and researchers
- Familiarity with bibliometric theories and methods
- Familiarity with user assessment techniques
- Experience with XML-based metadata schemas
- Facility in a computer programming environment
- Entrepreneurial attitude to developing services for researchers; self-motivated with the ability to set and attain goals effectively and the flexibility to adapt to change
This is a two-year term position. It is anticipated that the new Postdoctoral Fellow will begin the appointment between July 1 and September 1, 2015.
