Open Research at Cambridge Conference - Opening session

Special

Research is increasingly a collaborative endeavour that often benefits from the open flow of information. In recent decades, the concept of Open Research has gone from idealistic stirrings to widespread practice. Yet there is still more progress to be made.

In this opening session, speakers will bring perspective from the world of academia, funding bodies, publishing and museums. They will share their rationale and vision for Open Research, with a focus on what it means for our Cambridge community.

In the second half of the session, there will be the opportunity to break into small groups to discuss how Open Research has and will impact your practice.

Number of sessions: 1

Dr Jessica Gardner, University Librarian and Director of Library Services, University of Cambridge: Dr Jessica Gardner was elected as University Librarian for Cambridge in 2017, following previous roles as the Director of Libraries at the Universities of Bristol and Exeter. In April 2021, Jessica became Chair of Research Libraries UK (RLUK), and represents RLUK as a member of the International Alliance of Research Library Associations (IARLA). Jessica is also a member of the Liber Board for European research libraries.

Jessica is Co-Chair of the Jisc Transitional Oversight Agreement Group; a Director of the Agency of Legal Deposit Libraries; a Curator of the Bodleian Libraries; and a Trustee of the Friends of the National Libraries and of the Sir Winston Churchill Archives Trust. Jessica is a Fellow of Selwyn College (Cambridge).

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, University of Cambridge: Professor Ferguson-Smith is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Cambridge; from 2022 her portfolio will also include International Partnerships. She is the Arthur Balfour Professor of Genetics and is the current President of the Genetics Society, and a member of the UKRI BBSRC Council. She is a mammalian developmental geneticist and epigeneticist, and renown expert on genomic imprinting; her team studies the epigenetic control of genome function with particular emphasis on epigenetic inheritance. She was elected to EMBO in 2006, the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the Society of Biology in 2012 and became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2017. In 2014 she was as awarded the Women in Science Heirloom Award, in 2019 the Feldberg Prize and in 2021 the Royal Society Buchanan Medal. She is a Fellow of Darwin College, University of Cambridge.

Professor Steve Russell, Acting Head of Department and Chair of Open Research Steering Committee, University of Cambridge: Steve Russell is a Professor of Genome Biology and currently Head the Genetics Department, where he has been since joining as a postdoc in 1990. Steve has a long standing interest in Open Research, serving as the Biological Sciences representative on the Open Research Committee since 2018. He currently Chairs the University Open Research Steering Committee and is also Chair of the University DORA Implementation Group, working to improve the way the University assesses research.

Mandy Hill, Managing Director of Academic Publishing, Cambridge University Press: As Managing Director of Academic Publishing at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Mandy is responsible to Press Syndicate for the quality, performance and strategic direction of publishing worldwide across the breadth of the Press’ academic portfolio. In this role two key areas of focus are the Open Access transformation of the research publishing and the development of digital HE products and services. She is a member of the Executive Board and of the Academic Publishing Committee of the Press Syndicate. Mandy is the Diversity and Inclusivity Champion across Press & Assessment and also chairs the Publishing Ethics Committee. Mandy is also currently Treasurer of the STM Association Board and member of the Industry Advisory Board of the Oxford International Centre for Publishing. Mandy joined Cambridge University Press in 2014 from Oxford University Press, where she had worked for over 15 years. Previously has also worked at Elsevier and a medical communications agency.

Dr Neal Spencer, Deputy Director for Collections and Research, Fitzwilliam Museum: Dr. Neal Spencer leads on curatorial and research strategy, collections management, and the Museum’s Collections Development Strategy. As co-chair of the University’s Strategic Research Initiative Collections-Connections-Communities (2022-2025), Neal plays a key role in catalysing collections-based transdisciplinary research that both involves communities and creates societal impact. Holding a PhD in Egyptology (Cambridge, 2000), Neal’s own research focuses on cultural entanglement in the Nile Valley, as expressed through material and visual culture. Neal was previously Keeper of Nile Valley & Mediterranean Collections at the British Museum, where he directed research projects in Egypt and Sudan, and led international training and semantic web research initiatives.