Reproducibility Librarian @ UF Libraries

Posted by Leila Gibradze on
The George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida seeks a Reproducibility Librarian to develop an institutional strategy for education and support of transdisciplinary research reproducibility and open science. This position will be located in the Health Science Center Library (HSCL) in Gainesville. The Reproducibility Librarian is a year-round tenure-track library faculty position. The person who fills this position leads in designing and implementing a multifaceted program to enhance campus-wide efforts to promote and improve research reproducibility from design to dissemination.  The Reproducibility Librarian participates as an active member of the library- and campus-wide teams to develop programming for and support information retrieval/storage, data science, and research. The incumbent will provide interdisciplinary information consultation services in a variety of modes, design workshops to promote research reproducibility, perform course-integrated instruction, and participate in the Health Science Center Library’s teaching program. The position is responsible for special projects as assigned, such as new service development and evaluation, and development of web-based resources. The librarian works collaboratively in group efforts and maintains professional relationships with faculty, students and colleagues.
RESPONSIBILITIES
• Develops a nationally-recognized program in library-based research reproducibility education and support services at the George A. Smathers Libraries in collaboration with colleagues across the libraries and campus
• Provides expertise and consultation services in the areas of research reproducibility and open science to students, staff, and faculty at the University of Florida
• Designs and provides instructional programs on techniques to enhance research reproducibility and conduct open science, including the documentation and preservation of experiments and computational analysis
• Participates as an active member of library-based teams such as Academic Research Consulting & Services (ARCS) (https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://arcs.uflib.ufl.edu/__;!5Xm4_O-4tfk!k-XZZT_bclEoiO6NL7ZGmHg-nBqKInazgoirSp7bjD9JKBQe9hIhvnK5QFoHf6SoOaA$ ), which includes librarians specializing in data management, bioinformatics, and informatics
• Participates as an active member on campus-wide groups such as the UF Data Management/Curation Working Group and the Informatics and Analytics Task Force
• Provides library liaison services to faculty, researchers, students, and staff in assigned Health Science Center departments and programs. Liaison services include instruction, training, consultation, collection development, and other user-centered services as identified
• Contributes to university-wide initiatives to develop and design policies, services, and infrastructure to enable faculty and students to preserve and make available their data, code, and experimental protocols
• Partners with colleagues to promote a research data environment that embraces the FAIR Principles (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/__;!5Xm4_O-4tfk!k-XZZT_bclEoiO6NL7ZGmHg-nBqKInazgoirSp7bjD9JKBQe9hIhvnK5QFoHc-K67WU$ ) for scientific data
• Collaborates with library departments and colleagues to develop library infrastructures and services that enhance access to research data and code, workflows, documentation, and analytic tools
• Cultivates relationships with other faculty and researchers to identify opportunities for library partnerships within the University and the local community
• Maintains an awareness of current tools and methodologies for computationally-centered, data-driven research and reproducible research workflow development
• Performs scholarly research and provides service at the institutional and professional levels as related to assignment and in accordance with tenure and promotion criteria
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
• Graduate degree in a data-intensive discipline, Library or Information Science from an ALA-accredited (or foreign equivalent) program, or other relevant advanced degree
• For appointment at the Associate University Librarian rank, eight years of relevant experience
• Initiative, flexibility and the ability to adapt to a complex, rapidly changing academic environment
• Ability or potential to participate in a dynamic and collaborative team to pioneer the development and implementation of a vision for a comprehensive research reproducibility and open science program that supports the university’s interdisciplinary research initiatives
• Ability to think creatively and analytically in developing, assessing, and promoting the use of library services, technologies, and collections through a variety of outreach efforts
• Knowledge of funding agency requirements for data sharing and data management plans, including but not limited to the health sciences
• Ability to initiate and manage collaborative projects and develop policies related but not limited to data management and research reproducibility initiatives
• Commitment to including individuals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientation, and perspectives in research, teaching, service and other work
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to engage with diverse audiences and in a variety of activities including but not limited to one-on-one consultations, whole-class teaching and presentations
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with researchers, faculty, students, administrators, library colleagues and the general public
Preferred:
• Knowledge of critical issues regarding best practices of reproducible research, the research data lifecycle, and scholarly communication issues across disciplines and research types
• Master’s or Ph.D. in computer or information science, biomedical informatics, computational biology, data science, or similar data-intensive discipline
• Knowledge of or proficiency in open science tools or tools that can be used to enhance research reproducibility, such as electronic lab notebooks, open science platforms (e.g. Jupyter Notebook), reporting guidelines, and data repositories
• Knowledge of and experience in adult learning through teaching, training, and/or instruction
• Knowledge of or proficiency in computer languages and tools used in data analysis (e.g. R, Python, C++, Unix)
• Background in biomedical sciences, biology, biostatistics, or statistics
• Familiarity with clinical trials and other human-subjects research standards and regulations
• Familiarity with reproducibility issues in wet labs (e.g., cell line authentication standards, analysis of images including those obtained from microscopy or Western blots, or laboratory quality assurance practices)
• Knowledge of data anonymization and de-identification techniques and standards
BENEFITS
Vacation days, paid holidays, and sick leave days; retirement plan options; insurance benefits; tuition fee waiver program; no state or local income tax. Prospective employees should review the information about employment and benefits at UF available at https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://hr.ufl.edu/benefits/__;!5Xm4_O-4tfk!k-XZZT_bclEoiO6NL7ZGmHg-nBqKInazgoirSp7bjD9JKBQe9hIhvnK5QFoHTgyYI2Y$ . UF offers a comprehensive new online benefits tool called ALEX to help employees and prospective employees review benefit choices at UF.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply, submit
• a cover letter detailing your interest in and qualifications for this position
• a written statement on the following subject:  What are your top two strategies for ensuring reproducibility in research, and why? (300 words);
• your current resume or CV
• a list of three references including their contact information (telephone number and email address)
Apply by October 24, 2019 (review of applications will begin on October 3, 2019). Submit all application materials through the Jobs at UF online application system at Requisition 43480. Failure to submit the required documents may result in the application not being considered. If you have any questions or concerns about this process please contact Bonnie Smith, George A. Smathers Libraries Human Resources Office, at bonniesmith@ufl.edu.