Data Stewardship in an Environmental Research Centre

Leaver, David

doi:10.5281/zenodo.17478010

Data Stewardship in an Environmental Research Centre

Leaver, David

Publisher: Zenodo
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17478010
Repository: zenodo.org
Language: en

Abstract

This video is a talk from the Lightning Talks session at the CaSDaR Townhall Launch event on the 18th September 2025, in person at the Library of Birmingham and online. The presentation speaker was David Leaver from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Abstract: The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) ambition is to make the world a better place through science addressing climate change, promoting biodiversity and creating sustainable ecosystems. Effective data stewardship and management supports research integrity and transparency in tackling these challenges. The UKCEH Data Stewardship Team (DST) provides expert guidance on data management and stewardship, and the use of digital infrastructures. The DST consists of ten data stewards with discipline-specific expertise, distributed across four sites. A key focus of the team is support to researchers in data management planning using the Data Stewardship Wizard, augmented by targeted guidance through a Research Data Management (RDM) Portal. DST members also work on the curation of datasets for the Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC), and many are practitioners in their own research field, which enables them to effectively support researchers at all stages of the data lifecycle, with an overarching aim to make research data and other digital objects increasingly Findable, Reusable, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR). The DST has developed a portfolio of RDM training courses, on topics such as FAIR data and the reproducible transformation of environmental data, which are offered to NERC PhD students and external organisations. Data stewards play a vital role in fostering a culture of FAIR data at UKCEH and across the wider environmental science community. Speaker Bio: David Leaver is co-lead of the UKCEH Data Stewardship Team, where he plays a key role in advancing the development of FAIR data practices in the organisation. He leads the technical development and operation of the Data Stewardship Wizard tool for data management planning within UKCEH and the NERC Environmental Data Service. With a background in Chemistry and Atmospheric Sciences, David works across science, data, and software teams to improve data workflows, QA/QC processes, and integration-ready datasets. He also develops interactive tools for data dissemination and manages dataset ingestions into the NERC Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC). More information on the event can be found here: https://casdar.ac.uk/event/careers-and-skills-for-data-driven-research-casdar-hybrid-event-launch/ A link to a recording of the session on YouTube is here: https://youtu.be/Tll_geX__wI This video is an output from the Careers and Skills for Data-driven Research (CaSDaR) initiative, a 4-year UKRI funded dRTP initiative, grant number UKRI739.

Full text

Data Stewardship in an Environmental Research Centre The UKCEH model David Leaver UKCEH Data Stewardship Team Co-Lead Independent research institute dedicated to understanding and transforming how we interact with the natural world. Over 600 researchers at 4 sites across the UK. Tackle urgent environmental challenges, such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Host NERC’s data centre for the freshwater and terrestrial sciences: the Environmental Information Date Centre (EIDC). Digital strategy and FAIR data ceh.ac.uk 2 UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Images copyright © UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Data stewards in UKCEH – who are we? • Our team started as the CEH Informatics Liaison Network in 2006 • Key role to liaise with researchers to help use and implement new tools and techniques in Environmental Informatics • 2022 – Data Stewardship Team • 10 Data Stewards distributed across sites and research groups • Many are practitioners and have expertise in their area of research • Many work as digital curation experts in the Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC) • We developed a training framework for career development and progression and enable data stewards to champion different themes ceh.ac.uk 3 Image copyright © UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Data stewardship approach 4 Data Licensing Team Research ethics Modellers IT Project data managers Data Stewardship Team Data science Stats network Research software engineers EIDC LandAtmosphere Interactions Water & Climate Science Biodiversity and land use National Capability & Digital Research Environmental Pressures & Responses ceh.ac.uk Data stewards in UKCEH – what do we do? 5 • Project level and 1-1 support • Design and implement data management planning framework • Design and implement training to upskill researchers • Develop and maintain tools – Data Stewardship Wizard, RDM hub • Contribute to and advise on data policy Data stewards in UKCEH – what next? • Develop new skills framework • Develop our training offering • Continue to build culture around data management planning for FAIR data • Enable researchers to responsibly harness the latest developments in AI and other digital innovations • Engage with CaSDaR and other data stewardship initiatives • Contribute to and learn from best practice elsewhere • Work with others to increase the recognition of DS as a valued career pathway in the UK and beyond ceh.ac.uk 6 Thank you For more information please contact: datastewa[email protected] @UK_CEH ceh.ac.uk Some artwork generated with the assistance of AI