Spotlight on: Firdaws Badmus

Every other week, the Thematic DCCs and the Data Steward Interest Group (DSIG) put the spotlight on one research data steward working in the Netherlands, to stimulate knowledge exchange and peer-to-peer learning.

What drew you towards the research data management field?

The rising need for effective and sustainable data practices in life science research drew me to the field. My masters graduation project required reproducible and reusable workflow, which sparked my interest in the field.

What is an activity/task of your role that you find yourself looking forward to?

I find the Problem-solving aspect very rewarding. The field I work in is relatively new and constantly evolving, which keeps me on my toes. I find that interesting.

What is something unexpected that you can offer help with, if a colleague reaches out to you?

Not really unexpected but I have data anaysis and machine learning experience. 

What do you think your community of research data professionals is missing?

The field could use more exposure as a career path option. It is rare to find people who intentionally choose this career path; many people either discover it along their career journey or find themselves in it by chance. It would be helpful if the field is more visible as a career option. 

What is a topic you would want to collaborate on with others?

Integrated Omics data analysis.

Could you point us to a resource, learning platform, tool or similar which you find useful or inspirational?

This is quite generic but I find YouTube videos very useful when trying to learn a new skill. 

Get in touch with Firdaws: LinkedIn

Do you want to read other interviews published in the Spotlight on series? Visit the series' page.

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