Dryad is a non-profit, mission-driven organization that envisions a world where all research data is openly available and fully re-used. Our multidisciplinary, fully curated open data publishing platform delivers research data that is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable for humans and machines.
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Join us: Data Curator (Full-time, Remote, U.S.)
Dryad is recruiting for a full-time Data Curator to help drive and maintain the highest standards for research data curation quality and data publication. Our future Data Curator will carefully evaluate submitted research metadata and data files, and assist with identifying workflow and process improvements, offering guidance to authors, supporting team members, and participate in the onboarding and training of new curators.
Qualifications
To be successful in this role, the ideal candidate will possess understanding of the scientific research publication cycle and/or related research experience and have the following experience:
- Experience working with data in either a research or curation capacity (quantitative and qualitative)
- Proficient in accessing various file types used for research management and analysis, adept in identifying and accessing both open source and proprietary software (such as TextEditor, QGIS, Octave, ImageJ, RStudio)
- Effective time-management and organizational skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Intermediate-level knowledge with all Microsoft Office programs and Google Drive
- Familiarity with computer quick keys, shortcuts, and swift navigation skills; familiarity with Windows OS
Responsibilities
- Curate and publish research data: evaluate metadata to ensure compliance with Dryad’s guidelines for publication and best practices for open data
- Review data submissions entirely, and at a high-level, to ensure submission is appropriate for publication in Dryad (e.g., no ethical or legal issues)
- Correspond with authors and provide guidance to make data openly available, accessible, and ready for reuse
- Maintain high standards for curation service delivery, including responsiveness, speed, quality and integrity
- Maintain relationships with authors, users, and editorial offices, ensuring clear, accurate and consistent communication about ongoing curation and publication protocols as well as Dryad policies and service
- Assist with creating and maintaining Dryad documentation
- Participate in team recruitment and training efforts
- Identify opportunities for process optimization and assist with implementation
Important Characteristics
- Enthusiastic about Dryad’s mission and open science
- Strong and consistent work ethic: dependable, productive, proactive, detail oriented, customer service minded
- Ability to work independently, with minimal supervision
- Amenable to working in and fostering a positive, friendly, supportive, collaborative and communicative team environment
- Proactive in troubleshooting issues and searching for answers, open to asking questions, when in doubt
- Motivated and committed to continuous improvement; identifies and communicates specific training needed and/or development opportunities for growth; seeks answers and requests guidance
- Open to receiving feedback, comfortable delivering feedback
- Has confidence in making judgment calls based on information available and in keeping with established policies
- Demonstrates professionalism and decorum, practiced in politely yet firmly communicating “no”, when necessary
Helpful but Not Required
- Familiarity with citation styles and formats, DOIs and other identifiers, indexing services and databases, and citation management software
- Exposure to metadata standards (XML, etc.)
- Experience in data file management, data analysis
Compensation and Benefits
This is a fully remote, full-time hourly position based in the United States. We offer benefits and competitive compensation of $23-$25/hour, based on experience.
US candidates must be based in any of the following states: California, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Dryad is dedicated to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for all people, regardless of background or identity. We are an equal opportunity employer and give consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to age, race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, disability or protected veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by US federal, state, or local law. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply.
To Apply
To apply to work with Dryad
Please submit a resume or CV and cover letter expressing why the Data Curator role at Dryad would be a good fit for you – to jobs[at]datadryad.org. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Informal inquiries are very welcome, to our Head of Publishing Services, Jess Herzog via jherzog[at]datadryad.org. The position is open now and applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the role is filled. Informal inquiries are very welcome.
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Join us: Call for nominations to the Dryad Board of Directors
You can help shape the future of research data management, sharing and reuse as a member of the Dryad Board of Directors. We’re inviting nominations for new Directors to start three-year terms in October 2023. Nominations must be submitted by July 23, 2023.
As we approach our sixteenth year of operation, Dryad is uniquely poised to support the global research community in expanding support for data-sharing and beginning to realize the potential for open data through more routine data reuse.
Our multi-stakeholder community of academic and research institutions, publishing organizations, academic societies and research funders continues to grow, with 30 new institutions and 97 new journals joining in the last year – including Stony Brook University, the University of Pennsylvania and the suite of journals published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
We continue to curate and publish more and more data, now publishing an Open Data Digest to showcase the latest research results. We’ve developed a new, three-year strategy. And, our team is ready to support deepening engagement among our current members and the growth of the Dryad community with more institutional, publishing and funder members.
This is a seminal moment in research and an inflection point for Dryad. Could you be the right person to help steward us into our new phase?
About the opportunity
The Dryad Board is a diverse group of committed individuals representing Dryad’s multi-stakeholder community and having the mix of skills and experience necessary for supporting the organization at each stage in our journey. Our priorities for recruitment this year are individuals:
- Representing academic and research institutions or academic societies and working at the forefront of research data management
- Possessing skills in business development or marketing
- Identifying as an underrepresented group in the global research community, in association with any visible or invisible characteristic.
- Based outside the UK and Europe.
Nominees need not have all of the listed characteristics to be considered, but nominees having more of these characteristics may be given precedence. We recognise the rapidly evolving policy environment in the United States and opportunities for growth in Oceania and will take these into account in our deliberations.
Dryad is a non-profit, 501(c)3 corporation registered in North Carolina, USA. The Board of Directors is responsible for: supporting and evaluating the chief executive; ensuring effective planning; monitoring and strengthening programs and services; ensuring adequate financial resources; protecting assets and providing proper financial oversight; building a competent board; ensuring legal and ethical integrity; enhancing the organization’s public standing; and, when needed, determining mission and purpose and selecting the chief executive (source: BoardSource, Board Responsibilities and Structures — FAQs, retrieved 4 May 2022). The Dryad Board meets every quarter online and once annually in person. Our Directors also participate in one or more committees or task forces, which can meet monthly and provide a closer level of oversight for Dryad’s many programs and services. Board members are not paid.
Selection process
Nominations will be reviewed by the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, who will then recommend a slate for approval by the Board. Candidates may be invited to a brief interview. Upon approval, the Dryad membership will be asked to ratify the Board’s recommendation by online vote in August 2023. New members will join the Board in October and begin their three-year terms. The Executive Committee includes Jason Williams (Chair), Caroline Sutton (Vice-chair), Fiona Murphy (Secretary), and Ian Mulvany (Treasurer). Learn more about our Board on the Dryad website.
Informal enquiries about how the Board works and what may be involved in serving are welcome. Please contact Jason Williams via chair [at] datadryad [dot] org.
Application process
Individuals need to self-nominate. Please feel free to share this call with anyone you feel should be considered.
Nominees are asked to provide information about themselves, their primary affiliation, and their role. We do ask if you identify with an underrepresented community but will ask nothing further. (Note that this question is voluntary). Nominees are asked to describe their expertise and core competencies, past board experience, and to provide a brief statement about why they’d like to join the Dryad Board, along with a curriculum vitae and three references. Our hope is to form a rounded and objective view of each nominee, and to reduce our collective dependency on being networked.
Questions about the form and the process may be addressed to director [at] datadryad [dot] org. To be considered for the Dryad Board of Directors, three-year term starting October 2023, please complete the nomination form no later than July 23, 2023. Thank you!
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You’re invited: Help make Dryad better for data science
Are you a researcher who does data science? Do you use computational methods in your research, practice informatics, or conduct meta-analyses?
We want to make it simpler and more effective for researchers like you to reuse Dryad data.
We’re looking for researchers in any field to join our user testing group. As a member, you’ll have exclusive access to early looks at potential changes and new features and help us make them work for your research.
Plus, as a thank you for your time and insights, participants in our feedback surveys and user testing sessions may be entered into drawings for exciting prizes.
Volunteers will be contacted a few times a year to provide feedback on features designed to support data scientists. Previous feature enhancements have included:
- Tabular data validation through our integration with Frictionless data
- Tabular data (CSV) previews
Read more about past improvements here.
Join our user testing group today and start sharing your thoughts on the features and services that matter most to you.
Feedback and questions are always welcome, to hello@datadryad.org.
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