Research Data Services Postdoctoral Fellow

Description

The University of Virginia Library seeks applications from postdoctoral candidates in the sciences or social sciences for a two-year position working with a growing Research Data Services team. The Library’s Research Data Services is dedicated to the collaborative collection, management, use, and preservation of data across the research lifecycle. Developed to integrate multiple existing data services – data and metadata management, statistical analysis and GIS support, and data discovery and collections – Research Data services offers coordinated support services and expertise for data-intensive research and teaching.

The Fellow will work with faculty and graduate students as well as Library staff and other administrative and support centers throughout the University to build and to assess the Library's Research Data Services, which include data discovery and new collection development, data analysis and visualization, and data management planning, sharing and archiving. The position will serve as a bridge between the University research communities engaged in data-intensive research and the data services offered by the Library. Candidates must be service-oriented and have direct experience with conducting data-intensive research in a science or social science discipline, including the analysis and management of research data.

Position Goals

• Contribute to the development of research data training opportunities within the library to bridge library expertise with domain-specific research processes in the sciences or social sciences;
• Contribute to evolving partnerships between the Library and existing and new quantitative research initiatives (e.g., Data Science Institute) by supporting data-intensive research or teaching activities in one or more of these areas: data collection, extraction, integration, analysis, description, or preservation;
• Design and implement assessment methods to evaluate the impact of research data services on research outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Engage in targeted outreach within relevant disciplines to raise awareness of Library Research Data Services and to identify data collections and curation opportunities as well as data service support needs;
• Develop research projects relevant to a specific Library Research Data Service area (data collection, extraction, organization, description, preservation, integration, visualization) with opportunities for scholarly engagement in areas related to the Fellow’s research interests;
• Contribute to the Library’s Research Data Services as determined by skills and interests, e.g., data discovery and collection development; statistical or GIS consulting; metadata schema development, data management planning and institutional repository preservation.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a science or social science discipline with experience analyzing or managing quantitative data;
• Demonstrated understanding of scientific research methods;
• Strong teaching skills and ability to communicate with scholars across disciplines;
• Experience and interest in working in a collaborative environment.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with data-oriented research technologies relevant to data analysis, computation, or data curation;
• Experience coordinating and promoting programs and services;
• Understanding of discipline-specific data curation practices.

Professional Development

The fellow will be part of a new and active Research Data Services team that includes statistical and GIS consultants; data management planning personnel active in the development of the DMP Tool; and data and metadata librarians. In addition, Library Research Data Services has strong connections to academic departments across the University, and the Fellow is encouraged to build on and expand this network. The Fellow will receive local support for professional development activities.

Salary and Benefits

This is a full-time, 24-month, academic professional position with a salary of $60,000 plus excellent benefits.

Institutional Environment

Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University of Virginia sustains the ideal of developing, through education, leaders who are well-prepared to help shape the future of the nation and the world. The University community includes approximately 2,100 faculty, 10,000 staff members, 13,700 undergraduates and 6,600 graduate and professional students within the historic and picturesque Grounds. The University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, a setting with natural beauty and significant historical relevance in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Charlottesville is often ranked among the best places to life in the United States.

The University of Virginia is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusiveness.