OSPARK
In collaboration with Digital Research Academy (DRA), the OLS team will contribute to the Open Science Promotion and Advocacy for Research Knowledge (OSPARK) project.
Started in 2025, this 2-year initiative is funded through the Open Science Clusters’ Action for Research and Society (OSCARS), and represents our approach to equipping the Open Science community with practical marketing and communication skills to help create visibility for services provided by research support infrastructures as well as for researchers and their research findings.
The OSPARK project aims to develop a training program implemented in a multi-week bootcamp with both online and onsite participation to empower members of the OSCARS Science Clusters and the broader Open Science community with evidence-based marketing and communication skills.
In the first year of the project, the curriculum for the bootcamp will be developed based on research into both current best-practices and knowledge from experts in the field. Once the curriculum is developed, the bootcamp will be iteratively implemented in the second year to fine-tune the curriculum and participant experience.
Read more about the OSPARK project on the OSCARS Project Website
Watch our video (from OSCARS YouTube channel).
Sign up for the mailing list, to keep up-to-date on OSPARK bootcamp developments.
For specific inquiries, please contact us at ospark-project[at]digiresacademy.org.
Researchers
Role in OLS:
Executive Director, Business and Development Lead
Yo is the executive director and a co-founder of OLS. As an EngD student at the University of Manchester, Yo is studying pathogen-related data sharing and sustainability of open source software.Yo is a founder of Code is Science, and previously, they were editor for the PLOS Open Source Toolkit, editor emeritus at the Journal of Open Source Software, board member of the Open Bioinformatics Foundation, and a software developer at the University of Cambridge, working on an open source biological data warehouse called InterMine.
Role in OLS:
Finance Administrator & OSPARK Coordinator
I’m a Psychology PhD student in the Centre for Identity and Intergroup Relations at Queen’s University Belfast, where I research conspiracy theory beliefs and dis/misinformation about gender equality. I’m generally interested in the psychology of science (how people think and behave regarding science) and political beliefs. I also care about inclusion in science and run a science communication project.
Role in OLS:
Developer and Community Manager (contract)
I am a spirited human who specialises in breaking stereotypes and exceeding expectation. A student nurse by day, and techie by night. I enjoy podcasts, horror flicks and Jack Reacher novels.
I am an enthusiast for using tech to make processes more efficient and reproducible. Currently, I am the Co-Executive Director of the Digital Research Academy that provides bespoke training in Open Science, Research Software Engineering, and Data Literacy through an international network of expert trainers. Things that make me happy right now are sunshine and spending time with my school-aged kid discovering the world.
Heidi Seibold is a trainer for open and reproducible data science with extensive experience designing inclusive interactive courses, workshops and events. She has launched two podcasts series examining topics in reshaping academia (>reboot academia) and Open Science (Open Science Stories). She is also a Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the Digital Research Academy, a grassroots network of trainers that provides bespoke training in open science, data literacy, and research software engineering.
Previous Projects
Skills Policy Research
Funded by the Turing Skills Policy Award (SPA) 2023/2024, this research was carried out to engage with and influence institional policies with a goal to widen participation in open data science. The research involved literature review, policy landscape analysis and participatory workshop to inform outputs listed below.
Outputs
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Policy Briefings:
- Sundukova, M., Azevedo, F., Chimpén-López, C. A., Iley, B., & Yehudi, Y. (2024). Policy brief: Widening participation in data science: implementing policy for well-being in the workplace. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12759410
- Iley, B., Azevedo, F., Bennett, A., GOKTAS, P., Kiersz, D. A., Sundukova, M., Unshur, A., & Yehudi, Y. (2024). Policy brief: Equitable & Inclusive Team Science. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15302045
Researchers
Role in OLS:
Resident Fellow
Researcher
Role in OLS:
Finance Administrator & OSPARK Coordinator
I’m a Psychology PhD student in the Centre for Identity and Intergroup Relations at Queen’s University Belfast, where I research conspiracy theory beliefs and dis/misinformation about gender equality. I’m generally interested in the psychology of science (how people think and behave regarding science) and political beliefs. I also care about inclusion in science and run a science communication project.
Role in OLS:
Executive Director, Business and Development Lead
Yo is the executive director and a co-founder of OLS. As an EngD student at the University of Manchester, Yo is studying pathogen-related data sharing and sustainability of open source software.Yo is a founder of Code is Science, and previously, they were editor for the PLOS Open Source Toolkit, editor emeritus at the Journal of Open Source Software, board member of the Open Bioinformatics Foundation, and a software developer at the University of Cambridge, working on an open source biological data warehouse called InterMine.
Role in OLS:
Resident Fellow (contract)