Expert research data management

The position includes the following tasks:

• As expert research data management (RDM) or data steward, you collaborate closely with colleagues from the RDM-team, the Library and the IT Department to implement the university’s RDM policies. You keep in close touch with researchers from UAntwerp and AUHA (Association University and University Colleges Antwerp), helping them develop their research data management skills. This includes that you:
  • Are responsible for advice and professional service provision to researchers on relevant legal obligations, specific funder requirements (i.e. European Commission or FWO) on RDM, and more generally good practices and proper (international) tools and services for research data management (collect, manage, archive and share);
  • monitor compliance with these obligations and requirements, in collaboration with our specialists on ethical clearance and GDPR compliance;
  • provide feedback and quality control on data management plans, as required by ever more funders at the start of a research project;
  • together with colleagues develop  practical guidelines and host information and training sessions tailored to a range of researchers (a.o. as part of the doctoral education program).
• You participate in the FAIR Vault project. The FAIR Vault is a collaboration between Ghent University, Antwerp University, Hasselt University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The project aims to establish a reliable and secure repository for the long-term preservation of sensitive research data. This includes the following tasks:
  • Together with the Data Vault team, you will help develop the procedures around depositing research data in the FAIR Vault. You pay particular attention to ease of use from the researcher's point of view. You provide feedback on this to the team responsible for technical implementation.
  • You guide and advise research groups in testing the FAIR Vault, elaborating metadata and documenting datasets. You provide useful feedback to researchers on the quality of supplied documentation and metadata.
  • In consultation with the project partners, you will develop guidelines and best practices for using the application.
  • You contribute to the development of a training offer and the creation of teaching materials for the FAIR Vault.
• You will provide research groups hands-on support to foster high-quality research data management. This way you make a real impact for our researchers and keep close tabs on their needs.
• Building on your experience with scientific research, you are the first point of contact for researchers as well as other administrative offices such as dean’s offices, the Grants Office or the Legal Office, for all questions concerning research data management in these disciplines.
• You keep close track of international developments in the field of RDM and Open Science, among others by attending regular information and training sessions, actively seeking out opportunities to improve existing processes and IT-applications and -tools.
• You participate in internal and external (interuniversity) working groups on the topics of Open Science and RDM.
• You contribute to other responsibilities and tasks in the Research Affairs Office as well as the Department of Research, Innovation & Valorisation.

In your role, you take instructions and regulations into account with a view to achieving predefined objectives.

• You have a Master degree or equivalent competences gained through prior work experience.
• You have knowledge of specific systems and/or of the required technology on research data management and Open Science, i.e. open data, FAIR Data, the GDPR, encryption and anonymisation techniques, the EOSC, data curation, ….
• You preferably have experience in supporting academic researchers.
• You are good at process-based planning and organisation and can work independently.
• You are proficient in MS Office.
• You have good oral and written knowledge of English and preferably also Dutch.
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.
• You have strong skills in planning and organisation, and you can work independently.