The Role of Data Stewards and Open Science Centers at the University of South Bohemia: An Interview with Data Steward Manali Das

The meeting was followed by an interview with Manali Das, a data steward at the University of South Bohemia, who moved to the Czech Republic from India in 2023 and became interested in research data management. At the university, she assists researchers in effectively managing their data, focusing on promoting open access and implementing FAIR principles. In the interview, she shared how her technical experience in the IT industry has contributed to her success in her new profession and what challenges she faces in her role at the university.

How did you get into the role of a data steward? What was your professional or educational path leading up to this position?

I relocated to the Czech Republic from India in 2023 and sought employment opportunities. This position was recently established at the university, and I applied as it appeared to align with my professional interests.

I completed a bachelor’s degree in information technology and a master’s in software engineering. I have been employed in the IT industry for approximately seven years, during which time I have managed multiple projects and databases. Consequently, my technical background proved advantageous in this role of a data steward.

How do the open science centers at your university work, who manages them, and how do you collaborate with them? How many data stewards are there?

Our current focus is on facilitating the open sharing of research data. We are doing this by raising awareness of open-access repositories and the FAIR principles, providing guidance on licensing, and organizing training and workshops.

The academic library at the university facilitates open science by providing researchers with tokens for open-access publishing. The Faculty of Science (Manali is based here, editor's note) and Fisheries has appointed data stewards to assist researchers in data management. A data steward will also be appointed at the university level to oversee the management of the university repository (DSpace) and other open science-related activities. So, the University will have a total of three data stewards. We meet once a month and participate in joint working groups (on platforms like Discord and EOSC) focused on open science and data management. During these meetings, we discuss creating data management plans (DMPs), uploading datasets to repositories, organizing joint training sessions, and exploring collaboration opportunities with other open science centers.

How would you like further to develop your skills and competencies as a data steward? Is there anything you feel you need additional training in, such as a specific course?

I find the training and events at EOSC helpful. On top of that, the meetings or events run by the Data Stewards Interest Group (DSIG) are a great way to learn about the best practices for managing research data. I'm now trying to learn more about tools for managing experimental data, like ELN and LIMS.

The biggest challenge for researchers is ensuring that personal or sensitive data is anonymized or de-identified. It would be great to have some training or workshops on GDPR and different anonymization techniques or tools that are out there.

How do researchers at your university perceive the role of data stewards?

I've noticed that researchers working with large amounts of data or complex data (like image data from light microscopy, ornithology, and parasitology) are interested in proper organization and data management. They're open to the idea of open science and FAIR practices. Some are concerned that data might be misused if they adopt open-access policies. However, since the role of data steward is new, with more interactions, training, and actively participating in research planning and showing how data stewardship contributes to research success, we can work through this shortly.

How do you evaluate the EOSC CZ networking event? What did you find useful about the meeting?

The meeting was very useful because it matched the current needs of data stewards regarding open science and research data management. It gave us valuable tips on using the EOSC tools and infrastructure. It was also great that the event was conducted in English, making it easier for me to participate in the discussions. I find the knowledge about the National Repository Platform (NRP) and metadata helpful directory. It's an excellent solution for data storage capacity concerns and metadata management.