Data Curator 4TU.ResearchData

Are you passionate about open science and the impact of well-curated, FAIR research data and software? Then this job is for you!

Job description

The Data Curator at 4TU.ResearchData plays a central role in managing research data publication workflows, supporting the description, sharing, publication, and long-term preservation of datasets across diverse disciplines and formats. A core aspect of the role is promoting scientific reproducibility, transparency, and preservation by ensuring that datasets and related outputs—such as code, scripts, and protocols—adhere to the FAIR principles and open science practices.

In addition to handling daily curation responsibilities, the curator actively shapes and improves workflows by identifying efficiencies and exploring relevant technologies (e.g. rule-based automation, knowledge graphs and AI). They contribute to the design and implementation of innovative data curation practices, seeking alignment and collaboration with international developments.

Operationally, the curator assesses submitted data and metadata, provides clear guidance to researchers, and improves submission and curation workflows. They collaborate with team members to maintain high-quality curation standards, performing quality checks, enhancing metadata, and improving documentation. The role also includes advising on and implementing relevant metadata standards, and contributing expertise to projects to further extend the 4TU.ResearchData repository service.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Evaluate and publish research data and software: review metadata, documentation and data files to ensure compliance with 4TU.ResearchData’s policies and guidelines for publication and best practices for open data.
• Review data and software submissions entirely, and at a high-level, to ensure submissions are appropriate for publication and long-term archiving in 4TU.ResearchData (e.g., no ethical or legal issues).
• Correspond with authors and provide guidance to make data and software findable, accessible, interoperable and ready for reuse.
• Identify opportunities for optimising review and curation processes, including the use of new technologies to assist, validate and automate, and collaborate on implementation.
• Maintain high standards for curation service delivery, including responsiveness and quality.
• Maintain relationships with authors, users and data professionals from 4TU.ResearchData member institutions, ensuring clear and timely communication about curation and publication workflows as well as 4TU.ResearchData’s policies and services.
• Contribute metadata expertise to ongoing work to further tailor the 4TU.ResearchData repository to current and emerging needs of researchers in the NES domain (e.g., metadata standards and requirements for reproducibility, physical samples, and AI/ML models).
• Manage the 4TU.ResearchData shared mailbox, monitoring all incoming and outgoing communications to ensure timely and effective responses.
• Assist with creating and maintaining 4TU.ResearchData documentation.
• Participate in community events and training activities.
• Stay up to date with best practices for data curation, ensuring innovative and high-quality curation processes.

About 4TU.ResearchData

4TU.ResearchData is a research infrastructure, community and training provider whose mission is to enable researchers from science, engineering and design disciplines to make a global impact with research data and software. 4TU.ResearchData is governed and led by a consortium of four technical universities in the 4TU.Federation.

Job requirements

To succeed in this role, the ideal candidate will have a solid understanding of the scientific research process and/or relevant research experience. They should also have:

• Experience working with data in either a research or curation capacity, preferably in a range of disciplines.
• Knowledge and understanding of the FAIR principles and their implementation, including experience working with metadata standards.
• Proficiency in accessing various data types and formats used for research data management and analysis.
• Proficiency in handling data files, e.g. transferring larger volumes of data, packaging files in archive formats (e.g. ZIP or RAR).
• Knowledge of methods and technologies that may assist curation processes and FAIR assessment (e.g. rule-based automation, knowledge graphs and AI).
• Effective time-management and organisational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent command of English and willingness to learn Dutch if not yet proficient (fluency in Dutch is a plus).
• Competency in a particular field or domain relevant to 4TU.ResearchData is a plus.

TU Delft Library

TU Delft Library is the largest technical-scientific library in the Netherlands, a physical and virtual meeting place. The Library helps to find valuable knowledge needed for education and research, and to publish and store the knowledge generated at TU Delft. We believe it is important that knowledge is easily accessible and freely available to everyone.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 3 years.
• Temporary.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave.
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.