Dataverse Curation Assistant, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Posted October 6, 2023
Description:
The Dataverse Data Management and Curation Assistant is responsible for the collection, organization, and management of data within the field of Environmental Health, Climate, and Migration data. Their primary focus is ensuring the quality and availability of acquired data. Working closely with data scientists, analysts, and stakeholders, they identify data needs and maintain data integrity to ensure deposits within the Harvard Repository are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). Reporting to the Harvard Dataverse Curation Manager and the PIs of the grant, the Data Curation Assistant collaborates with partners and stakeholders, including the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Boston University (BU), the Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS), and the Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA). They identify and source relevant data and curate them into the Harvard Dataverse Repository. This role involves establishing data transfer mechanisms in collaboration with data providers and conducting data audits to assess the quality and completeness of the data. T Data Curation Assistant remains updated on emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in data curation. They proactively identify opportunities to enhance data management processes and tools, potentially working with IT teams to implement data curation solutions and automation
As a member of this collaborative project team, The Data Curation Assistant:
- Collaborates with the the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Boston University (BU), the Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS), and the Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) to acquire data;
- Provides data curation consultation services and apply metadata to data within the Harvard Dataverse;
- Ensures data accuracy and consistency by validating, transforming, and implementing data quality controls;
- Assists in monitoring data quality metrics and address data-related issues;
- Maintains strong relationships with stakeholders in the research data management landscape;
- Assists in assessing compliance with data protection regulations and privacy laws;
- Understand data requirements and priorities through collaboration with stakeholders
- Assists in the development and implementation of data retention and disposal policies;
- Stays updated on emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in data curation;
- Contributes to program and project reports and document workflows and procedures.
IQSS sits in the Division of Social Science, which is strongly committed to creating and supporting a diverse workforce. Respect and fairness, kindness and collegiality, and trust and transparency are among the values we espouse and promote in our workplace culture. We work hard to ensure a healthy, inclusive and positive environment where everyone does their best work in support of Harvard’s mission.
This is a 36-month term position with possibility of renewal based on available funds. The position is part time, 17.5 hours per week.
We regret that we will not be able to provide visa sponsorship for this position.
All formal written offers will be made by FAS Human Resources.
Basic Qualifications:
- Two plus years of experience with the research data lifecycle, data curation, and FAIR data principles;
- Two plus years of experience in project management.
Additional Qualifications and Skills:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in data management, information science, or a related field.
- Master’s degree in Library or Information Science from an ALA-accredited institution of higher education or an advanced degree in a related field
- Solid understanding of data management principles, data governance, and data quality.
- Familiarity with data curation tools and technologies;
- Excellent attention to detail and organizational abilities;
- Effective communication and collaboration skills;
- Existing knowledge of Environmental Health, Climate, and/or Migration data standards and practices;
- Data curation experience involving a data repository, such as Dataverse;
- Data curation experience involving sensitive data and data de-identification;
- Experience organizing and documenting data;
- Demonstrated ability to create and use programs, scripts, and other tools, such as Open Refine, to extract and manipulate data from a variety of sources, including web services and APIs;
- Experience collaborating and communicating with faculty and researchers;
- Ability to manage workload, priorities and deadlines and achieve timeline goals;
- Strong written and oral communication skills