Miss Ellen Lyrtzis1, Mrs. Kathryn Unsworth1, Dr Amany Gouda-Vossos1, Mrs. Sarah Thomas2
1Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), Australia, 2Australian Access Federation, Australia
Biography:
Dr Amany Gouda-Vossos: With expertise in molecular sciences, evolutionary biology, behavioural sciences, and health and science education, Amany employs an evidence-based approach to build the capabilities of project partners. Her passion to foster a strong learning culture was cultivated through her experience across university and corporate settings.
Kathryn Unsworth: Kathryn leads the Skilled Workforce Development program, which drives a nationally coordinated approach to skills initiatives and targets areas of the workforce that conduct, underpin and enable data-intensive research. She also guides the ARDC’s leadership in skills uplift and capability transfer across the Australian research sector.
Sarah Thomas: An enthusiastic and resolute community engagement manager, with demonstrated expertise in research and innovation ecosystems. Sarah is committed to using her skills in relationship management, communication, program design, delivery and evaluation to deliver positive outcomes for the community.
Ellen Lyrtzis: With a background in health and medical research and project management, Ellen supports the ARDC’s vision of advancing data-driven research by building national capability, fostering collaboration, and promoting best practices in data, infrastructure, platforms, and skills development.
Abstract:
The increasing complexity and scale of the digital research infrastructure (DRI) landscape, results in the need for researchers to develop a broad and evolving set of digital research skills. These skills should include both foundational competencies and emerging capabilities that align with the changing digital research environment. Domain expertise alone is no longer enough, researchers must also be proficient in digital tools, data management, and computational methods to fully leverage DRI.
Significant skills and knowledge gaps persist, as many researchers struggle with limited awareness of which digital tools and methods are relevant to their work, compounded by insufficient skills development and training opportunities, and unmapped learning pathways.
To ground discussions, we’ll draw on participant insights and research contexts, examining them through the lens of the ARDC Digital Research Capabilities and Skills Framework to identify the critical digital skills most relevant to the effective use of DRI. This examination will be augmented by a working draft approach to initiating a skills and training gap analysis, focusing primarily on skills required by HDR students and early-career researchers. The aim is to highlight what skill areas are currently addressed through university curricula, external training providers and training specifically delivered by DRI providers. This activity will collectively map the disconnects and opportunities for coordinated support.
This BOF brings together those responsible for upskilling researchers to identify challenges and explore solutions that enhance researcher readiness to fully leverage DRI. The insights gathered will inform future training, approaches to skills development, and potential opportunities for collaboration.