Data steward life sciences

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The Faculty of sciences is looking for a

Data steward life science (0,8 fte, 1 fte is discussable)

Vacancy number 21-577

Job description

As data steward you will work in close collaboration with researchers in different institutes at the Faculty of Science, in particular CML (environmental sciences), IBL (biology), LACDR (drugs research) and LIC (chemistry).

You have an important role in the introduction of a Research Data Management (RDM) policy at the institutes in your portfolio. Together with the researchers you design data management protocols for the domain and you advise and support the use.

You advise and support researchers and data stewards in institutes with RDM aspects in all phases of the research cycle, from grant application to collection, processing to archiving and making research data suitable for reuse, thereby taking into account the FAIR and Open Science principles.

You have a key role in the formation of a RDM community, you make training, workshops, communication and guidelines available. You will collaborate with different partners, both within the university and nationally in the development of an excellent data infrastructure and promote the use among researchers.

You will be part of a team with other data stewards in the faculty, a privacy officer, security officer, the application manager Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) and the Information Manager with whom you will work in close collaboration. You will advise the Ethics Committee on research proposals which use privacy sensitive information.

Finally, you will become part of a (virtual) team of all data stewards in the university and share knowledge among each other and with staff from the Leiden Digital Competence Center (LDCC), a collaboration between central expertise centra that deal with research data management, such as the Center for Digital Scholarship at the university library (UBL) and the Research ICT Competence Centre at the central IT-department (ISSC).

Your tasks

• Develop and evaluate data management policies, protocols and guidelines for different research groups at the institutes, based on existing (university, national and international) protocols if possible. 
• Monitor the implementation and adoption of these data management policies within the institutes.
• Align data management activities at the faculty and institute level and connect with relevant initiatives within  the university , such as LDCC
• Develop guidelines to support the writing of data management plans
• Advise and support researchers for writing grant applications and Data Management Plans.
• Advise and support in developing tools to support RDM processes.
• Close collaboration with Privacy Officer, Security Officer, application manager ELN, Ethics Committee and Information Manager
• Develop guidelines and organize training for the implementation of FAIR principles in data management. To be and stay informed about local but also (inter)national developments in the field of data management and translate these for our institutes.
• Collaborate with data stewards from other faculties and the LDCC in building a community.

Job requirements 

• Master or relevant academic degree in one of the life sciences (Chemistry, Biology or Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences).
• At least 2 years of work experience as researcher, data manager or data steward in life science research, in which you have learned how to draw up data management plans and  executed these. 
• Knowledge and experience on processing scientific data and willingness to further train yourself in this. You are familiar with metadata management, audit trails and data capture tools.  
• Good understanding of how researchers work (e.g. demonstrated with a PhD) and how data and software underpin high-quality research. 
• Knowledge of and experience with data processing tools and/or database. 
• Research experience is desirable. You are familiar with data-driven research in an academic environment, including various kinds of qualitative and quantitative research, and combinations thereof. 
• Active participation in networks of expertise and well-informed about current developments in RDM, FAIR and Open Science.  
• Personal competencies are important in this function:  persuasion, network skills and quality orientation, communicative, curious, analytical and a team player. 

Research at our faculty

The Faculty of Science of Leiden University is a world-class faculty where staff and students work together in a dynamic international environment. It is a faculty where personal and academic development are top priorities. Our people are committed to expand fundamental knowledge by curiosity and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to make a contribution to addressing the- major societal challenges of the future.

The research carried out at the Faculty of Science is diverse, ranging from artificial intelligence, computer science, mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry and bio-pharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences. The faculty has grown strongly in recent years and now has more than 2,300 staff and almost 5,000 students. We are located at the heart of Leiden’s Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s biggest science parks, where university and business life come together.
For more information, see here  and here .

Terms and conditions
We offer a 0,8 fte, 1 year position, with the possibility of a permanent position based on performance. Salary range from € 3.807,-  to € 5.211,-  gross per month (pay scale 11 in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities). 

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses(8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information , see the website.

Diversity
Leiden University is one of Europe’s leading international research universities.

Thanks to its committed and inspired employees, the university enjoys a leading role in academic research and education. Leiden also scores very well every year in prominent rankings. This means that, to maintain our position, the bar is set very high. Regardless of the work you do at our university, you are always encouraged to broaden your horizons, develop your talents and reach your full potential. Will you become our newest colleague?

Application
For full consideration we encourage candidates to apply no later than 24 November 2021. Please contact Johan Detollenaere [email protected] for information and to apply. We will need a CV and motivation letter for your application.

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