VACANCY: Supporting open research at the University of Oxford: UKRN Local Network Leads for Reproducible Research Oxford (5 positions)
Are you passionate about promoting open and transparent research practices? Would you like to help share good practice and drive activity in the Oxford research community?
Reproducible Research Oxford (RROx) is Oxford’s local node of UKRN, the UK Reproducibility Network. We are inviting expressions of interest to join RROx as one of up to five URKN Local Network Leads at Oxford.
Applications are invited from across the Oxford research community, including DPhil students, post-doctoral researchers, technicians, research software engineers, and research support staff, based in any part of the Collegiate University and working in any discipline.
The Local Network Leads will grow awareness of open research, and they will work collaboratively to engage and expand the Oxford open research and reproducibility communities via networking, training, and other events and activities. They will also inform senior University leadership of current and future needs in this area. These roles are a great opportunity for career and leadership development and to be involved in rewarding collaborative working, with mentorship from academic and professional services staff.
Background
Reproducible Research Oxford is a University-wide initiative focused on advancing the open research agenda at Oxford. The overarching goal is to promote a coordinated approach to open research and reproducibility that extends to all disciplines. The University is also an institutional member of the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) and is a partner in UKRN’s funded programme (2021–2026) to accelerate the uptake of open research practices across UK higher education.
Roles and responsibilities of the Local Network Leads.
A UKRN Local Network is a grassroots collective of students and staff at a given institution, providing a mechanism through which the aims of UKRN can be promoted within that institution. Local Network Leads are the point of contact between that group and UKRN. They provide important insights into practice and issues specific to the institution and more broadly across the sector.
We are encouraging expressions of interest from people with different skills and interests. The Local Network Leads will work collaboratively and each role is likely to have a different specialism. These specialisms will be determined once the team of Local Network Leads has been brought together, but will likely include such roles as:
• Events management (social)
• Events management (training)
• Communication
• Network development
• Local Network Lead coordination.
Applicants should indicate which specialism(s) they wish to be considered for, including those listed above and/or any others they deem relevant. Please note that more roles could be created if individuals have specific interest and expertise that they want to share, and which are relevant to UKRN’s mission and activities.
Details
Approximate time commitment: One hour per week, on average.
Length of tenure: 1 year minimum (renewable for up to three years)
DPhil students and staff at any career stage and on any contract length are welcome to express interest. The Local Network leads would be expected to take up their positions in Hilary Term 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter. These roles will be supported by, and report, to the Research Practice Manager in the Research Strategy and Policy Unit, Dr Sarah Callaghan.
Resourcing: A budget of £500 per term will be available to the Local Network Lead Team to support the organisation of events and initiatives ran for the benefit of the community. The Local Network Leads will be expected to write a short termly report on activities organised and expenditure of funding.
Internal connectivity: The Local Network Lead coordinator will join the Research Practice Group, which has been established to provide University-level leadership to ensure that the highest standards of practice are followed in how research is designed, planned, executed, and reported.
External connectivity: Local Network Leads represent the University’s grassroots network of students, researchers and others at the University with an interest in advancing Oxford’s open research and reproducibility agenda. They will also benefit from networking with UKRN Local Network Leads at other institutions, and they will have the opportunity to take part in dedicated UKRN-sponsored events and activities.
If you would like to be considered for one of these roles, please send an expression of interest (up to 400 words), to sarah.callaghan@admin.ox.ac.uk by 17th February 2023.
Please describe your interest in open research practices, your relevant skills and experience, your current role, and why you are interested in the position. Please confirm that you have your line manager or supervisor’s approval, and that you can commit to the role for a minimum of one year.
Expressions of interest will be considered by Professor Laura Fortunato, the University’s Institutional Lead for the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN), and by representatives from Research Services.
Selection criteria
The roles will be allocated in line with the goal to build a sustainable community for open research and reproducibility at Oxford. Criteria include:
• career stage, motivations, and experience (i.e. balance between early-career researchers interested in building a community of peers, and permanent University staff already involved in research practice);
• representation across Divisions;
• involvement with RROx and/or the UKRN (desirable, but not essential);
• a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, to ensure that all network events are welcoming, open and inclusive.
We warmly encourage expressions of interests from members of the University who identify with groups that have been historically excluded from research (e.g., women, people of colour and/or from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community).
For an informal chat about these roles, please contact Dr Sarah Callaghan, Research Practice Manager.
