Join us: Invitation to participate in Dryad committees

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If you share our vision for the open availability and routine reuse of all research data and community-sustained, open-source infrastructure, please consider engaging directly in our work by joining a Dryad committee.

To apply for any of the committees mentioned below, please complete our application form by January 14, 2024. Applications will be reviewed by members of the Dryad Board and evaluated according to the desired skills and experience described.  

Community participation is vital to the success and longevity of Dryad, and we genuinely value your contributions. By joining a committee, you will have the opportunity to shape the future of our organization and research data sharing, collaborate with fellow community members, and make a lasting impact.

We are seeking members for the following committees:

  • Nominations and Elections Committee
  • Fundraising Advisory Board
  • Strategy Advisory Task Force
  • Big data working group
  • Member model advisory group 

You can find detailed information about the charges and estimated time commitments for each committee below.

We welcome applications from representatives of Dryad member organizations and our broader community of stakeholders. Representatives of Dryad members may be given preference.

If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at community@datadryad.org. 

  • Nominations and Elections Committee: This committee plays a crucial role in ensuring fair and transparent elections within Dryad. By joining this committee, you will contribute to the recruitment of qualified candidates to serve on the Dryad Board from October 2024 and to the development of policies that help foster a diverse and inclusive representation within our organization. The group will start work early in 2024 and is expected to meet monthly through the year. Estimated time commitment: 1 to 2 hours per month. We particularly welcome colleagues with expertise in community governance.
  • Fundraising Advisory Board: The Fundraising Advisory Board is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to secure financial resources that support Dryad’s success in realizing our vision for the open sharing and routine reuse of all research data. We particularly welcome colleagues with experience securing public funding in the U.S., private funder support, and promoting open infrastructure. This committee will start work early in 2024 and meet monthly at least to begin with. Estimated time commitment: 1 to 2 hours per month.
  • Strategy Advisory Task Force: Between April 2024 and April 2025, this group will help define the need and opportunity for Dryad to establish a new, standing strategic advisory committee as a resource to the Board of Directors and team. Leveraging their knowledge of new and emerging developments in standards, policy, practice, and technology around research data, the task force will advise Dryad on how we can most effectively contribute to the growth and power of the global open research infrastructure. By bringing your special expertise to this task force, you will actively contribute to shaping our organization’s goals, priorities, and long-term vision, ensuring that the views of our community are well-represented. This group will meet in 2-hour sessions quarterly from April 2024.
  • Big Data Working Group: This group will work to understand and articulate specific needs, opportunities, and costs for publishing and preserving large datasets and develop an action plan for supporting big data. This group will meet monthly starting in January or February. We particularly encourage colleagues who have direct experience supporting large datasets to apply. Estimated time commitment: 2 hours per month. The working group will provide advice to the executive team.
  • Member Model Advisory Group: This new initiative will help Dryad to further refine our fee structures – for institutions, publishing organizations, societies and individuals. With new information on the costs of data curation, publication, and preservation, and a fresh sense of the needs and challenges in our community, we will work as a group to see if and how Dryad’s fee structures might be improved. The group will meet monthly from January or February and prepare recommendations for the Dryad Finance Committee by June 2024. We particularly welcome colleagues having responsibility for purchase decisions including Dryad, and with experience developing fee models for comparative organizations. Estimated time commitment: 2 hours per month.