CODATA invites nominations and applications to become the Chair of the organization’s International Data Policy Committee for a 3-year term (renewable once by mutual consent), beginning 1 July 2020. We will accept applications directly from the candidate or nominations from a candidate’s institution or endorsing organization.
Applications or nominations can be made through the Google form at https://forms.gle/jCNBPYVKeQGD2zYC9 or by sending the linked/attached Word document to asha@codata.org
The deadline for applications is 23:59 UTC on Monday, 25 May 2020.
CODATA is the Committee on Data of the International Science Council (ISC). CODATA’s mission is to connect data and people to advance science and improve our world. CODATA achieves this through strategic activities to build consensus and implement good practice, and through advancing data policies, data science and data education. The Data Policy Committee plays an important role in CODATA’s mission and activities. For more details about the scope of the organization, please see https://codata.org/about/.
The CODATA Data Policy Committee (DPC) is an international expert body that:
- Takes a leadership role in developing and advancing CODATA’s Open Research Data agenda at a national and international level, in support of the organization’s strategy;
- Encourages the adoption and implementation of open data policies, particularly in the context of ISC-sponsored international collaborative research programmes; and
- Provides expert advice to the CODATA leadership, members and partners on the development, adoption, and implementation of data policies and related activities.
More specifically, there are four sources of DPC activities and general relationships to coordinate:
- Policy support of CODATA initiatives and programs. This is focused on internal organizational projects in which DPC members can be individually or collectively involved. Recent examples include the participation of DPC members in CODATA Conferences and the organization of sessions. Another is support of data policy activities of CODATA Task Groups and Strategic Initiatives. A major CODATA activity that is now being organized is the Decadal Programme that is focused on data interoperability issues in several cross-domain “grand challenges”. See the CODATA website for a description of the Conferences, Strategic Initiatives, and Task Groups: https://www.codata.org/
- External requests for advice or projects. CODATA is frequently contacted by other organizations for various activities, some of which involve the DPC or its members. There has been a series of externally generated and funded reviews and reports that CODATA has been asked to undertake. The DPC membership often acts as a source of expertise for such work.
- DPC-generated projects. DPC members bring forward policies or policy issues for consideration by the Committee. A recent activity that fits in this category was the Research Data Policy meeting in September and the resulting Beijing Declaration (see https://codata.org/initiatives/strategic-programme/international-data-policy-committee/data-policy-committee-outputs-and-reports/).
- Response, advice, and targeted participation with the CODATA – University of Arizona Center of Excellence in Data for Society (CEDS). After a year of work, the Center is now being formed under the leadership of Merc Fox, a DPC member (ex officio). There are several projects being pursued and the DPC will be asked to respond to many of them.
The DPC Chair coordinates activities with Dr. Simon Hodson, the Executive Director of CODATA, and reports directly to the CODATA Executive Committee. The successful candidate will be expected to work in the general areas outlined above and perform the following tasks, among others:
- Act as the primary manager of the Committee and develop a strategy for action.
- Carry out projects, with the DPC members and others, and consistent with the areas outlined above. Projects may include: organizing workshops or side-events at meetings or conference sessions (in the near term, these will be online only because of the COVID-19 pandemic), lead the drafting of reports and other germane documents, communicate and establish productive relationships with experts in other organizations working on data policy issues, and undertake other activities as deemed appropriate.
- Hold regular (about monthly) conference calls with the DPC members to discuss projects and issues. This will involve preparations before the Committee call and a summary of actions after. The CODATA Secretariat assists with and supports the calls: Asha Law schedules the calls and handles the logistics; Simon Hodson participates in the calls, if available.
- Hold face-to-face meetings of the DPC at conferences or events that are attended by a substantial subset of Committee members.
- Select the membership of the DPC, in consultation with Simon Hodson, the CODATA Executive Committee, and others.
The outgoing DPC Chair, Paul Uhlir, allocated c.10% or 3-4 hours per week to this role. As is often the case for such senior volunteer activities, the employer of a successful candidate should allow this time (0.1 FTE) as part of his or her activities. Paul will be available to continue as a member or advisor to the Committee at the new Chair’s discretion, and will answer any questions that the new Chair may have.
The Chair of the Data Policy Committee is also an ex officio member of the CODATA Executive Committee. As for other members of the Executive Committee, CODATA funds travel for the Chair to the annual meetings of that body.
CODATA provides a fund (generally c.5K EUR p.a.) to support DPC activities (travel, meetings, workshops). The Committee has been successful in recent years in obtaining external funding for specific reports and activities. The position itself, however, is a volunteer assignment and not remunerated.
Enquiries may be addressed to the Executive Director, Simon Hodson simon@codata.org