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Job Summary

The Data Curation Specialist for Health Sciences advances the mission of the Library through working with faculty, students, and staff to help manage, share, and preserve their research data with a specialized focus on the Health Sciences.

You will be an important member of the Deep Blue Repository & Research Data Services (DBRRDS) team and contribute to all aspects of its work. You will help develop data management and sharing plans, consult with faculty, staff, and students on their scholarly communication needs in collaboration with librarian experts and subject specialists, provide training to researchers on managing and sharing their scholarship and research data, and help researchers share their scholarship and research data with others through the library's Deep Blue Documents and Deep Blue Data repositories.

You will be the primary service contact for DBRRDS with Health Sciences faculty, staff, and students in U-M Ann Arbor's schools of Dentistry, Kinesiology, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health; U-M Dearborn's College of Education, Health & Human Services; and U-M Flint's College of Health Sciences and School of Nursing. You will collaborate with Taubman Health Sciences Library informationists and Librarians at UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint  to serve the data needs of our Health Sciences community. Other service activities and responsibilities may be negotiated depending upon your knowledge, expertise, and interests.

You will report directly to the Director of Deep Blue Repository & Research Data Services under the Associate University Librarian for Publishing.

You may supervise student workers.

What You'll Do

Data Curation (25%)

You will curate datasets submitted to Deep Blue Data using the CURATE(D) method to assess the condition of the dataset and to make recommendations to enhance the value of the data for others. You will then communicate the recommendations to the researcher to address gaps; improve the value of the data's Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability (FAIR); Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics (CARE); and enhance datasets' reproducibility. You will be a data curator in the Data Curation Network, a consortium of academic libraries offering shared data curation and repository services.

Education and Community Development (25%)

In collaboration with Informationists and Subject Specialists, you will identify and connect with faculty and students who are engaged or interested in generating data and scholarly content in the Health Sciences. You will offer workshops and other educational programming on introductory and specialized topics of interest to the U-M community (such as informed consent and sensitive data). You will lead meetings or events designed to facilitate engagement among faculty and students from across the U-M campuses. You will also identify, support, and solicit deposits of scholarly items from the Health Sciences into Deep Blue Documents, such as Master's theses, curricular materials, white papers, systematic review protocols, technical reports, and policy documents.

Consultation (20%)

In coordination with Informationists and Subject Specialists, you will use knowledge of best practices in data curation and potential application in different research settings to serve as a consultant for faculty and students in the Health Sciences. Consultation activities will range from single meetings to address a specific need to longer-term collaborations with researchers to explore or address larger issues. This may include participating in funded research projects as a named partner, depending on your interests, expertise, and personal capacity.

Develop Local Standards, Tools and Support (20%)

You will use your knowledge of best practices in curation and the needs of U-M researchers to support local standards of practice for the Library and the U-M community. You will collaborate with repository developers to improve repository features and user experience for Deep Blue Documents and Deep Blue Data. You will also design practical and easy to use technical and policy tools to enhance the data and scholarly content produced by the research being done at U-M. This may include pursuing external funding.

Professional Development and Service (10%)

You will pursue enrichment and professional development activities relevant to the position and individual interests, and will engage and contribute to the library, disciplinary, and other relevant communities of practice.

Why Work at Michigan?

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, the University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

Generous paid time offA retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vestingMultiple choices for comprehensive health insuranceLife InsuranceLong-term disability coverageFlexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expensesTravel support for conferences and professional activities.Required Qualifications*An advanced degree (Masters or PhD level) in a relevant academic discipline or a Master's Degree in Library Science. One (1) year direct experience with the information technologies and best practices prevalent in research data management, sharing, and/or curation. One (1) year combined experience with and/or education with at least one data type. This could include qualitative, observational, genomic, clinical data, or code.Demonstrated commitment to protecting the integrity of sensitive data (including balancing openness and protection) as well as compliance with relevant regulations and adherence to professional ethics.Familiarity with the FAIR and CARE principles and the necessity of making research accessible for the benefit of the global community.Demonstrated commitment to fostering a welcoming environment by recognizing and incorporating differing viewpoints, backgrounds, and ideas to enrich the organization.Motivated to provide excellent service and to collaboratively improve workflows and processes.Excellent written and oral communication skills and an ability to present and share ideas clearly and effectively to diverse audiences.Desired Qualifications*One (1) year combined experience with and/or education with at least one type of Health Sciences data. This could include qualitative, observational, genomic, clinical data, or code.Experience supporting researcher information needs and creating effective responses to meet those needs in a service.Experience working in an academic library. Experience working with data repositories.Experience working through the nuances of sensitive data, including ethical issues and compliance with journal and funding agency mandates.

(Note: desired qualifications are not required to apply and be considered for the position).

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

This position is hybrid, a combination of remote and in person. Candidates with exceptional qualifications may be eligible for fully remote work.

Additional Information

The anticipated hire date is Winter 2026.

Appointment is anticipated as an Associate Librarian or Sr. Associate Librarian. Salary and rank are dependent on the candidate's qualifications and experience. The target salary range for this position is $66,000 - $76,000 for the Associate Librarian rank, and $76,000 - $87,000 for the Sr. Associate Librarian rank.

For questions about this posting or to request accommodations, please contact [email protected].

This appointment is subject to the UM/LEO-GLAM collective bargaining agreement.

Librarian appointments carry with them increased expectations regarding professional development, professional engagement, research, and service, in keeping with the library's process for librarian promotion and advancement.

This position may be eligible for flexible work opportunities at the discretion of the hiring department. Flexible work agreements are reviewed annually and are subject to change dependent on the business needs of the hiring department, throughout the course of employment. This position will be hybrid. Candidates with exceptional qualifications may be eligible for fully remote work.

It is the policy of the University of Michigan to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other applicable federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. Pursuant to the 2025-2029 UM|LEO-GLAM agreement, each appointing unit will designate an administrative contact ("administrative designee") who is responsible for communicating with the necessary parties about accommodations requests made by employees in that appointing unit on each campus. The Administrative Designee for Michigan Publishing is Maria Gonzalez. They may be reached at 734-764-7196 or [email protected].

Union Affiliation

This position is covered under the collective bargaining agreement between the U-M and the Lecturers Employee Organization, AFL-CIO, on behalf of their Librarian, Archivists, and Curator bargaining unit (LEO-GLAM), which contains and settles all matters with respect to wages, benefits, hours and other terms and conditions of employment

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.