At the March 2025 RDM Club Call, we will discuss UCL’s journey to building an in-house Data Steward team.

Being part of the Research Data Group, the Data Stewards are ideally suited to integrate UCL’s data services within the software systems built for academic research. Our Data Stewards provide consultancy on various data-related problems, from data engineering and wrangling to designing distributed data systems. We help identify ways in which data management could be more efficient and support researchers to maximise the value of data.

Data Stewards support researchers with their research data management, including advocating for open and FAIR data, by acting as the first point of contact for enquiries, a link to central services (e.g. the Library, IT, and Information Governance) and as experts in data practices in the disciplines, we support. Furthermore, because our Data Stewards are employed on permanent contracts, we can alleviate the problems many research groups face as they try to recruit people with the appropriate skills and knowledge for short-term temporary contracts. Our data stewards have the opportunity to develop their professional experience and apply that across multiple projects at UCL, keeping practical skills in-house.

Speaker

James A J Wilson – Head of Research Data at University College London.