For almost four months, I have been interning with the Research Data Service (RDS) as a project assistant. I decided to apply for the internship simply because I had received RDS support when I was developing a Research Data Management (RDM) plan for my PhD project and I also wanted to gain experience that would help me develop my professional skills. I was beyond thrilled when I was accepted!
The RDS team entry to the office sunflower-growing competition
The project I was involved in was called the Dealing With Data Use Case Videos Project. Its aim was to gain insights into the research data management (RDM) practice of data service users in all three Colleges at the University. My main role was to interview academic staff and PhD students as well as support staff about their experiences of RDM and their views on the tools available at the University such as DataStore, DataShare, DataVault and so on. The insights gathered from the interview are valuable for the RDS team to improve their services. For my personal development, interviewing the participants has helped me to gain my confidence and hone my skills which I can directly apply for my PhD research. I also enjoyed learning about different research projects beyond my field and felt inspired by the participants, particularly in how they share their data publicly to advance research on their topic. Another part of my internship (which I found most interesting) was to conduct video interviews. I had the chance to work directly with the Video Production Team of Communications and Marketing and visited their studio. This was my first experience being involved in video filming and editing.
My nameplate on my desk
So, my internship now has come to end, but I won’t forget this amazing experience. I was very welcomed to be part of the team, had my own desk, joined some meetings and even out for lunch and drinks! It’s been truly a pleasure to work with such a great team and I can’t thank the RDS team enough for the opportunity to learn so much about the RDS and to extend my knowledge about RDM.
Catherine Clarissa
Research Data Service Project Assistant
Postgraduate Research Student
Nursing Studies, University of Edinburgh
The view from the office window